





















^ 0 A> ^ ^ \0^ ** J t *> .'N ’^, '' 0 a V 

'/‘^ c 0 N C a 'Cp ^ ^ ^ s\^ « '• ' « -e 



>.""•«, -o^ 

■"oo'' ; 

2 I . Z 


O'^ N 

'■ ' - 

' 0 , V 

. ^o rO' V- ° ^ ^ 



V . <> 

*JE»- <\ 



^\> ^ <1 '^ ' " 


... ., r.ji '^. a'O' ^ 













I 


* 





IF.JF.OAhJ^ys JjiJrhy, S6.S0stony 

Au«itLstiTic TtLade amovemertt of' terror. 




THE BEAES OE AUGUSTUSBUEG, 


AN 

EPISODE IN SAXON HISTORY, 


BY 


^ ^ GUSTAVE NIElilTZ. 

WITH OTHER TALES. 



TRANSLATED BY 


STraucrmant^l. 


BOSTON: 

CROSBY, NICHOLS, & CO., 

117 Washington Strket. 

1 8 5 9 . 


t 




^l(o 

t 


Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by 
Cbosbt, Nichols, and Company, 
in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 









v\^ 





CAMBRIDGE: 

STEREOTYPED BY METCALF AND COMPANY. 


DEDICATION. 


Dear Lottie : — 

When I show you this pretty book, with its 
pictures, and your own name in print, will 
you open your keen, steel-gray eyes upon me 
with the air of an empress, and say, Thank 
you. Cousin Lilhe ! or will you look elfish, 
and run away to devour it in solitude ? No 
one can tell what fairy Lottie will do, but all 
know that whatever pleasant caprice may lead 
her for the hour, — nay, the moment, — she 
will not be less the lovely idol of father, moth- 
er, brothers, and sisters, who will all prize the 
book for the dear name placed as a talisman 
on its opening page. 

Titania herself has taught you all her charm- 
ing ways ; and may kind elves keep you ever 
happy, bright, and innocent, as now. 


THE TRANSLATOR. 


% 

CONTENTS. 


FAOE 

THE BEARS OP AUGUSTUSBURG, BY GUSTAVE 

NIERITZ 1 

BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN, BY AGNES FRANZ 217 

THE LILAC AND THE ELDER, BY AGNES 

/ 

FRANZ 241 


BEARS OF ATJGUSTUSBURG. 

A 


TALE FROM SAXON HISTORY DURING THE 
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 





V ' 

\ > 


CHAPTER I. 


THE LITTLE BILBERRY GATHERERS. 

Ti^Proad from Dresden to the little town 
of Chemnitz, a distance of about eight leagues, 
crosses the valley of Plauen, passes through 
Tharandt, the celebrated city of Freyburg, 
and Oederan. It finally descends into a lovely 
vale where two rivers, the Plouha and the 
Zschoppau, unite their pure, clear waters in a- 
sinuous stream, which, after laving the foot 
of a steep mountain, reposes at length in a 
charming lake, whose environs delight all the 
lovers of nature.* 

The busy hum of many factories, and of 
thousands of workmen, is mingled with the 
rural songs of the farmers and field laborers^ 


* These rivers, towns, and valleys are all in Saxony. 


4 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


The view from the public road is truly won- 
derful. The traveller sees the whole valley 
lying at his feet, and can survey all the dwell- 
ings ranged upon the hills, forming a vast 
amphitheatre. 

The houses encompass, like a girdle, the 
south side of the mountain, whose summit is 
crowned by a magnificent castle, whio|j^ver- 
looks the whole landscape, and consequently 
may be seen from many miles around. This 
edifice was constructed by command of the 
Grand-Elector and Regent, Augustus, and has 
thence received the name of Augustusburg. 

It was customary among the ancients to 
offer sacrifices to the divinities on the sum- 
mits of the loftier mountains; as these per- 
sonages were supposed to dwell in the heavens, 
the people fancied they could thus approach 
them somewhat nearer. These places were 
planted with groves which were regarded as 
sacred. A purer air swept over them, and the 
heart, moved by gratitude, beat more freely, 
and raised itself more lovingly towards the 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


Creator, when a single glance could embrace 
so many of the wondrous glories of nature. 

The first Christians thus assembled on the 
high mountains, whence they could watch 
the dawn, and behold the splendor of the 
coming day, while their hearts adored with 
renewed fervor the God who had placed them 
in thj|midst of so much beauty and grandeur. 

The great lords and princes also constructed 
their dwellings upon the loftiest summits in 
the land, and from the battlements of their 
proud castles surveyed the plains unrolled at 
their feet, and said. All this is mine. But 
as heaven, the object of our endless desires, 
with its myriad delights, can only be the 
reward of great efforts, thus these castles, 
which so majestically overlook the humbler 
dwellings, could only be inhabited by strong 
men. As the generations became more and 
more effeminate, the princes descended from 
their mountains to live with the herd of mor- 
tals, by whom they were continually sur- 
rounded, ready to obey their lightest sign^ 


6 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


The castle of Augustusburg had been thus 
abandoned; its wide lawns, its immense halls, 
its chambers and corridors, were cold and 
silent. The worms had taken possession of 
all which they could injure, and the sharp 
tooth of the borer had destroyed whatever 
they had spared. A castellan still dwelt in 
the manor, but he only occupied a few |^art- 
ments. 

It had been long since the lords of Augus- 
tusburg, contrary to the ancient custom of 
their ancestors, had inhabited this favorite 
residence of the old Prince Augustus of Sax- 
ony. Hence the state of decay which pre- 
vailed. 

But if silence had fallen upon Augustus- 
burg, the eastern slope of the mountain had 
only become the more animated. Where a 
proud eagle dwells, all the animals which he 
does not use as food are sheltered from the 
attack and pursuit of their enemies ; and thus 
men who have no means of defending them- 
selves build houses under the protection of 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


7 


the strong castles, and believe themselves as 
secure as the little chicken under its mother’s 
wing. 

Schellenberg was the name of the village 
situated at the foot of the mountain crowned 
by the towers of Augustusburg. It gave 
its own appellation to the lofty summit, and 
might ' have been compared to an ant-hill 
placed at the foot of a majestic oak where 
the eagle had established his eyrie. 

In the year 1754, during the reign of the 
Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, Au- 
gustus III.,* in the month of July, one after- 

* Augustus III. (Frederic), Elector of Saxony and Kfng of 
Poland, ascended the throne in 1733. The later years of his 
reign were very unfortunate. In 1756, Frederic, King of 
Prussia, despoiled him of his Saxon states, and accorded him 
no privilege but that of retiring into Poland. Saxony 
remained in the power of the conqueror until the peace 
of Hubertsburg, concluded February 25th, 1763. Augustus 
died on the 5th of October of the same year. History 
represents him as a kind-hearted and generous prince, but, 
unfortunately for the welfare of his people, too much addicted 
to the ruinous expenditures occasioned by an extravagant 
taste for luxury of all kinds. 


8 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


noon — But what has the King and Elector 
to do with the childish history I am about to 
narrate ? Augustus III. troubled himself but 
little concerning the children of his capital, 
and much less about the inhabitants of Schel- 
lenberg; he had plenty else to do, although 
his occupations were not always worthy of a 
king. — But we are not writing his biography. 

On the afternoon, then, of a July day, three 
children, a boy of twelve years old, and two 
little girls between eight and ten, gayly de- 
scended the steps of a house in Schellenberg. 
They carried in their left hands earthen bowls, 
proportioned to the age and strength of each. 
Above one of the windows of the ground 
floor hung a cow’s horn, ornamented with 
brazen arabesques, and a sign representing an 
immense comb, surmounted by an inscription 
conceived in these terms : “ Theophilus Winz- 
ler. Comb-maker.” 

The children were already at a considerable 
distance from the house, when a workman, 
wearing a leather apron, and having his 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


9 


sleeves rolled up, ran after them as fast as 
his crooked legs could carry him, crying at 
t -ie top of his lungs : “ Henry ! Henry ! stop ! 
stop ! ” 

The boy turned, and waited until the other 
had overtaken him. The workman gave 
something wrapped in paper to the child, 
who put it in his pocket, saying : “ Thank 
you, dear Arm and ! I had nearly forgotten 
the best part.” 

The comb-maker’s apprentice hobbled home.- 
wards, and Henry hastened to a house bear- 
ing a totally different sign ; it consisted of a 
wooden serpent painted blue, whose tail was 
fixed in the wall, and whose body projected 
with many undulations into the street. The 
monster held an iron chain in his mouth, to 
which was suspended a garland of brilliant 
metallic flowers, encircling a bottle and a 
glass. Besides this, a long bunch of tow, 
whose end nearly touched the heads of the 
passers-by, hung down like a weathercock. 

In consequence of this arrangement, the 


10 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


sign was almost always in motion, and 
creaked horribly, thus addressing itself not 
only to the vision, but to the other senses, 
especially that of hearing. We may easily 
imagine a reason for choosing a serpent as an 
emblem in this place. Was it not the cun- 
ning serpent which seduced the first pair to 
eat the forbidden fruit? Artificial serpents 
may then very appropriately be chosen to 
tempt men, not to eat, but to drink, and lose 
their reason. Let each one avoid such ser- 
pents ; they are not less to be feared than 
those which hide under the flowers. Beside 
this sign, there was another upon the same 
house, bearing the following inscription: — 
“ Collector of the sixtieths, the quarters, and 
the tolls for the Electorate of Saxony.” 

Neither the occupation of innkeeper, nor 
that of tax-gatherer, although combined in 
one and the same person, sufficed to support 
the incumbent. This plurality of offices, 
which might truly be deemed quite incom- 
patible, disproved the universality of the prov- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


11 


erb, “ that no man can serve two masters at 
the same time ” ; for if the tax-gatherer had 
nothing to do on Sunday, in his quality of 
collector, as an inn-keeper on that day alone 
did all the drinkers meet under his roof. 
Usually after the sermon, the most rational 
among the auditors assembled to partake of 
some substantial nourishment, in addition to 
the spiritual which they had just received. 

The comb-maker’s son Henry stopped be- 
fore the collector’s house, and, knocking at 
one of the windows of the ground-floor, cried : 
‘‘ Grissel! Augustus ! are you not coming to 
help us gather bilberries ? ” 

A flaxen head appeared at the window, 
and the owner, a young boy, perceiving the 
children, cried out, gayly : “ Yes ! I will join 
you immediately.” 

In three minutes more the child stood in 
the doorway of the house. Like his com- 
rades, he was furnished with a large earthen 
bowl. 

“ But do you think we will find any bil- 


12 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


berries ? ” said he, approaching the others 
“ All Schellenberg has gone out to look for 
them.” 

“ Do not distress yourself. They cannot 
surely pick them all!” said Henry; and the 
merry little party wended their way through 
the pretty valley surrounding Schellenberg. 
They entered the cool shadows of the forest, 
and had not long to seek before they found 
plenty of ripe bilberries. While Henry and 
his sisters worked actively but silently, Au- 
gustus ran hither and thither, like a butterfly, 
flying from flower to flower, and fixing itseli 
nowhere. His bowl was not very rapidly 
filled. Each child displayed its distinctive 
character in its mode of gathering the fruit. 

All at once a triumphant shout was heard, 
and all eyes were turned upon Augustus, who 
cried : “ Haha ! Here are the bilberries ! Thirty 
berries at least on every stem ! I never saw 
such bunches before ! ” 

The exclamations of Augustus attracted 
not only the comb-maker’s children, but other 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


13 


little berry gatherers who were near at hand. 
They ran towards him, and were not content 
merely to admire the quantity of the fruit; 
soon all the tempting clusters had disappeared 
within the bowls. Augustus lamented, but in 
vain, his folly in uttering exclamations which 
had deprived him of so rich a harvest. 

“ Stop ! stop ! ’’ he cried. “ These berries 
are not yours, they are mine ; I found them 
first.” 

But all his remonstrances were useless. 
He was even forced to bear the ridicule and 
sarcasms of the little berry gatherers. His 
ill-humor increased when he saw that Henry 
had filled his bowl, thanks to the large comb 
which Armand the apprentice had brought 
him, and which he employed in detaching the 
berries. 

“ One may see,” said he, with an envious 
air, “ that his father is our burgomaster. His 
children have the advantage over us even in 
picking berries ; and it is not wonderful that 
his bowl should be so soon filled.” 


2 


14 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


“ W ell, then, do as I do ! ” replied Henry. 

“ My father is not a comb-maker, like yours,” 
was the response. 

The song of the cuckoo here interrupted 
the discussion, and dissipated the ill-humor 
of Augustus. He opened his mouth, which 
was quite blue with the berries he had eaten, 
and cried out : “ My dear cuckoo, I will give 
you a penny if you will tell me how long I 
have to live!” 

“ Do not talk so ! ” said Henry, beseechingly 
and kindly. “ The cuckoo might only utter 
some doleful cries, and if anything dreadful 
were to happen, people would think the bird 
had foretold it.” 

“ Well, then, I will ask him why you stole 
my berries.” 

“ I will give you some of mine,” said 
Henry. 

“ No, indeed you shall not I ” replied Au- 
gustus, obstinately. “ You would go and 
boast of your generosity ! I tell you it is of 
no use. — Cuckoo, I will give you a penny — ” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


15 


Ah see ! ” cried Henry, gayly, “ he has 
flown away. He cares more to please me 
than you.” 

“ No, no ! he did it for me,” replied Augus- 
tus ; “ but did you hear the fine echo which 
answered me just*now when I cried out?” 

“ O yes ! I heard it long ago,” said Henry. 

“ Then let us see what the echo has to say 
for itself.” 

All the little berry gatherers began to ask 
questions, each in his own manner, accom- 
panied by loud and joyous hurrahs, which 
were frequently repeated, to the great satis- 
faction of the merry band. 

They were about proposing some new ques- 
tions to the echo, when a fearful growl re- 
sounded through the valley. The sound was 
again and again repeated by the answering 
rocks, and the children, dumb with terror, 
looked at each other, trembled, while some 
grew pale as death. 

“ The bear ! ” said Henry, after a moment’s 
pause. “ Perhaps he has escaped from his 
den, and may fall upon us.” 


16 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


At these words, Henry’s two sisters shud- 
dered, and took refuge behind him. As for 
Augustus, he glanced round him, and, en- 
deavoring to feel less afraid, said : “ If the 
bear should come, I would soon climb one of 
these trees, and laugh at Mr. Bruin.” 

“ Do you not know,” replied Henry, that 
he is a better climber than you, and in such 
a race would reach the topmost limbs sooner 
than you could ? ” 

“ I would lie on the ground, and pretend to 
be dead.” 

“ And I would run away as fast as I could,” 
said a third child. 

“ He would soon catch you,” cried a fourth ; 
“ these beasts are very active.” 

Augustus began to count the children pres- 
ent. “ We are twelve,” said he; “if we were 
all to fall upon the bear, we could give him 
such a warm reception that he would soon be 
forced to let us alone.” 

“ Oh ! ” cried Henry, laughing, “ have you 
not read in the Old Testament how two bears 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


17 


destroyed the forty-two children who cried out 
‘ Baldhead ’ to the prophet Elisha ? ” 

A second growl, louder than the first, put 
an end to the children’s conversation, and all 
their fine courage vanished. 

‘‘ I am going,” said Augustus. “ I am not 
afraid of the bear, but I have eaten enough 
berries, and what do I care about not taking 
many home ; a pint only costs two pennies, 
and we buy them every day ; my father uses 
them to color the red wine.” 

This simple confession passed unnoticed 
by the children, for bilberries are very inno- 
cent, and agreeable to the taste. Augustus 
prepared to depart, and Henry said to him : 
“ We will follow you, Augustus : our bowls 
are quite full, and if you will only wait a few 
moments, I will fill yours too.” 

“ No ! no ! ” replied Augustus. “ Let us 
go now.” 

Henry went in search of his bowl, which 
he had left at some distance ; he soon found 
it, but the comb, which he had laid Upon it, 


18 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


had vanished. He looked everywhere, but 
could not find it. 

“ Who has taken my comb ? ’’ he cried 
angrily. 

“Not I,” — “Nor I,’’ — cried each of the 
children. Two little girls of four and seven 
years old alone kept silence. They hastened 
away, and were soon at a considerable dis- 
tance in advance of the rest. 

“ Who are those children running off down 
there ? ” asked Henry. 

“ They are the rag-seller’s children, Sybil 
and Augustine,” replied Jenny, Henry’s eld- 
est sister. 

“ Was not Sybil a little light-fingered 
when she went to school ? ” continued Henry. 

“ Yes, she stole a pencil from me.” 

And a pen from me.” 

“ And a ruler from me,” cried several 
voices. 

“ Did you see Sybil near my bowl ? ” 
asked Henry of his sisters. 

“ Yes, yes ! ” they replied. “ She pretended 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


19 


to be gathering berries near the place where 
the bowl was. 

“ Then she certainly has taken I'jiiy comb. 
Jenny, watch my bowl while I run after 
the thief.” 

Henry was followed by several of the 
boys. The little girls too went homeward, 
but somewhat more slowly, and all had 
quite forgotten the bear. 

“ Ah, you thief! ” cried Henry, as he joined 
the two little girls ; “ you must give me 
back my comb, or something dreadful will 
happen to you. Come, give it to me at 
once ! ” and he shook Sybil by the arm. 

‘‘ But I have not got it,” replied Sybil, 
whining. 

“ Whoever steals will lie too, and will 
surely be hung in the end,” returned Henry ; 
“ and every thief will be burned in endless 
flames, and in boiling waves of pitch and 
sulphur. You will surely go to the bad 
place if you continue to steal so.” 

“ I have stolen nothing,” replied Sybil. 


20 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


“ O, I have many witnesses here that 
you are a thief. Will you give me the comb 
willingly ? If not, my father will shut you 
up in a dungeon where you will be eaten 
up by snakes, and toads, and rats.” 

“We will throw her to the bear,” said 
Augustus, “ and if she does not confess — 
I am sure he has a good appetite to-day. 
Did you hear him growl just now? We 
will beat you until we find the comb.” 

Sybil wept, as did also her little com- 
panion ; but she continued to maintain her 
innocence. Then Jenny had a bright thought. 
She bent down to the little Augustine, took 
her hand, and said gently : “ Tell me. Tiny, 
where Sybil has put the comb ? ” 

“ In her hair,” replied the child innocently. 
Sybil’s tears ceased suddenly ; she threw a 
reproachful glance at the little one who had 
betrayed her, but at the same moment the 
comb was found in the long hair of the little 
thief, and restored to its legitimate owner. 
A torrent of reproaches overwhelmed the un- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


21 


fortunate Sybil, who was seized rather rudely 
by several of the children. 

“ What will your mother say, you shame- 
ful little thief ? ” cried Augustus. 

“ And your father, when he comes home ? ’’ 
added Henry. 

They continued in the same manner until 
they left the forest and reached the little town. 
The first house they came to belonged to 
the adoptive parents of Sybil. She was only 
the rag-seller’s niece, who had taken her 
when an infant, because he would not aban- 
don a helpless orphan, his brother’s child. 

Sybil had until then remained quite mute 
under the shower of threats and menaces 
poured upon her. But as she approached 
the house her steps slackened, and the chil- 
dren were even obliged to use force to drag 
her forward, until at last she made a stout 
resistance, and was prodigal of fair promises 
to induce them to abandon their project. 

She gave them her word that she would 
never again steal from any one, that she 


22 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


would correct her faults, and be grateful 
during heT whole life, if the children would 
say nothing to her parents, and would pardon 
her this time. 

Henry began to pity her. He was not in- 
sensible to her tears and promises. His sisters 
also were inclined to favor her, but Augustus 
was inexorable. He observed that Sybil had 
just told a lie when she denied having taken 
the comb. 

“ And she is lying now,” he added angrily. 
“ Do not believe that she will ever be any 
better. She is an incorrigible thief, who al- 
ready knows every trick. How well she man- 
aged to hide the comb. If we do not tell 
her parents what she has just done, we shall 
be responsible for her future fate. She will 
end by stealing from her own parents, and 
will certainly be hung.” 

These arguments seemed unanswerable, 
and even those who were inclined to show 
mercy had nothing more to say, and the first 
intention was put into execution. 


CHAPTER II. 


CONSCIENCE. 

The children made a great noise as they 
entered the rag-sellePs narrow dwelling. The 
little Augustine, who had until then clung 
to Sybil’s dress, left her and flew to her 
mother, who was seated upon the floor, occu- 
pied in sorting rags. Augustine threw her- 
self at her mother’s knees, and hid her face 
and her tears in her dress. Mrs. Fingerling 
looked first at her daughter, and then at the 
children, who held S^ bil a prisoner. 

“ What is the matter, my children ? ” 

“ Sybil is a thief ! ” was the unanimous 
reply. 

The good woman made a gesture of hon'or, 
and grew pale. 

“ Sybil has stolen the new comb from me 


24 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


which I used in gathering bilberries. She 
hid it in her hair, where we should certainly 
never have found it, if Augustine had nol 
told us about it,” said Henry. 

“ Besides, she stole several things frore 
us at school ! ” continued the other children 
Mrs. Fingerling clasped her hands in con- 
sternation, and cried : “ Unfortunate girl ! is 
this our reward ? What will your father say 
when he hears your shame ? ” 

Sybil, who had remained near the door, 
with her head bowed, and weeping in silence, 
clasped her hands, and fell at her mother’s 
feet. Ah ! my dear, my good mother, beat 
me, starve me, shut me up in the wood-hole, 
or in the cellar, but I beseech you say nothing 
to papa. I promise you never again to steal 
in all my life.” 

“ She lies like a newspaper ! ” cried the 
children ; “ all thieves say the same. Do not 
believe her, Mrs. Fingerling.” 

“ Why did you steal the comb ? ” asked 
the woman. You had no need of it ! ” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


25 


Sybil looked at her fingers, and then sai(i: 
“ Because Henry, the burgomaster’s son, 
gathered with his comb more bilberries than 
any one else, and as we are poor — Hen- 
ry could easily have another made.” 

“ Do you then think, unfortunate child, 
that your father or myself could eat berries 
with any pleasure that had been gathered 
with a stolen comb ? Let us rather be poor 
and honest, than rich and dishonest. How 
fou will be shamed before the whole town ! ” 

“ Exactly what I told her/’ added Henry 
with assurance. “ Everybody will point at 
you, and no one will sit beside you at 
school.” 

“ And the people will call out in the 
street. There goes Sybil, the thief!” con- 
tinued Augustus. “ You will surely be hung 
if you do not mend your ways. Hem! — 
it must be frightful to have a hempen cra- 
vat round one’s neck, to lose one’s breath, 
and die in the most horrible agony!” 

“ All robbers begin by stealing little things, 

3 


26 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


a^d end by committing great robberies, and 
even murder ! ” observed a third child. 

“ And what a shame for us ! ” said Mis. 
Fingerling ; “ for us, who have always done 
our best to teach her sound principles of 
truth and honesty ! ” 

“ And what will become of your little 
Augustine, if she always has a thief like 
Sybil for a companion ? ’’ 

“ Great Heaven ! you are right, my child ! ” 
cried the mother sorrowfully. “ Ah, my dear 
little one,” she continued, tenderly embracing 
Augustine, “ if you should ever become a 
thief, I should certainly die. You must 
leave this house, Sybil, or you will pervert 
our child too. What will your father say ? ” 

The children bowed and courtesied ; then 
left Mrs. Fingerling alone with the two 
little girls. 

“ What shall I do with you, unfortunate 
child ? ” again cried the poor woman, al- 
most in despair. “ Ought I to beat you ? 
Alas ! this dreadful vice cannot be thus cor- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


27 


rected, else the convicts who are so severely 
treated would be the most honest men in the 
world. But your father shall say what must 
be done with you. O my dear Augustine, 
never steal like that wicked Sybil. You see 
the sorrow which she causes me. Never take 
what does not belong to you, even if it be 
only a pin, or a bit of thread!’’ 

“ Augustine does not steal,” replied the 
child ; “ it is Sybil who steals.” 

Sybil, whose heart had been sorely wrung 
by all she had just heard, took a desperate 
resolution, and, as soon as Mrs. Fingerling’s 
FacITwas tiirnedj ran "but of the~ house. 

Evening finally came. 

The cows, goats, and pigs, which had passed 
the day amid the rich pastures, returned to 
their shelters. The merry cow-bells tinkled 
at intervals, the young goats leaped about 
gayly, and the awkward, ugly pigs expressed 
their content by the most ungraceful and 
unmusical grunts. On one side, the shep- 
herd, with his staff in his hand, returned at 


28 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


the head of his flock. His faithful dog ran 
by his side, and maintained order in the home- 
ward march. Further on, the reapers wended 
their way, chatting and singing, followed by 
the ploughmen, who led the oxen which had 
that day aided in making many a deep fur- 
row across the fruitful fields. 

The evening bell announced the hour for 
repose. The crows circled above the steeple, 
and prepared to retire for the night within 
their accustomed resting-places. The other 
birds, great and small, took refuge in their 
nests, to relate to their little families the news 
of the day, and lull them to sleep with their 
gentle cooings. The ducks and geese left 
the pool where they had been sporting, shook 
the pearls from their plumage, and went to- 
wards their peaceful homes, gabbling and 
quacking. 

The bees flew towards their hives ; the 
butterflies, and a thousand varieties of in- 
sects, satiated with the sweet juice of the 
plants, took refuge in the flower-bells closing 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


29 


for the night, and prepared to enjoy a sweet 
sleep, while the cricket sang a lullaby. The 
golden sun, too, was preparing to repose in his 
purple bed ; some rays still illumined the face 
of nature, and the king of heaven disappeared 
from the tired eyes of mortals. But the lofty 
castle of Augustusburg, with its white walls 
and its slender towers, still shone brightly in 
the departing light, which long lingered lov- 
ingly around it, when the whole valley was 
darkened by the shadows of the coming 
night, as if it were a glorious beacon, illu- 
mining the homeward paths of the dwellers 
in the Erzgebirge. 

The hour of repose had also come for 
Schellenberg. The master, the workmen, the 
apprentices, the mistress of the house, as well 
as the servants, laid aside their work, and 
gathered round the table to partake of their 
evening repast, after having first thanked the 
good Giver of all things for his new benefits. 
Gay conversation and joyous pleasantries 
seasoned tbe frugal meal, which was followed 

3 * 


30 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


by a deep and quiet sleep, the result of a good 
conscience. 

And Sybil? 

Alas! She had pronounced her own sen- 
tence. A fugitive, and a wanderer, like Cain 
after his fratricide, she crossed the fields, care- 
fully avoiding all the passers-by, and hiding 
as soon as she fancied any one was approach- 
ing. The bell for rest had not rung for her ; 
for her no table had been set ; no smiling lips 
had spoken kind words to her ; no soft bed 
and healthful slumber awaited her. The glory 
of the heavens, far from possessing any charm 
for her, only terrified her ; she desired to hide 
in the thickest darkness. Burdened by the 
weight of her fault, and an object of horror 
to herself, she continued to fly without know- 
ing whither to direct her steps. 

The full moon in all its splendor rose be- 
hind the mountains ; lamps and candles grad- 
ually illumined the windows of Schellenberg ; 
the castle of Augustusburg alone remained 
plunged in darkness, like a sleeping giant; 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


31 


and Sybil then determined to seek a refuge 
in its shadows, near the wall surrounding the 
garden which contained the bears. 

She soon found a hiding-place, and took 
possession, although it did not offer so soft a 
couch as her little bed in the house of her 
adoptive parents. Sybil crouched down with 
her back against the wall, closed her eyes, and 
endeavored to sleep. But her soul was too 
restless to admit of quiet slumber ; she was, 
however, beginning to dose, when she ' was 
stricken by a sudden terror, and fled precip- 
itately, like the startled deer aroused by the 
hunter. She had heard behind her, on the 
other side of the wall, a scratching, accom- 
panied by the deep growls of a famished 
beast. Sybil had not troubled herself to think 
whether the bear could have known that a 
human being was so near to him; she ap- 
proached the castle court ; the gate was still 
open, for the castellan had not yet returned 
from a visit he had been making to Oederan. 
Sybil at first took refuge in a little house, 
covering a well several hundred feet deep. 


32 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


But when the moon enlightened the inte- 
rior, and shone upon the immense wheel, 
which four oxen could scarcely turn, and the 
deep and dark abyss yawning at her feet, a 
sensation of renewed terror and uneasiness 
seized upon the little criminal. Before, it 
was the growling of a ferocious animal, and 
now a profound silence, which apparently 
threatened her with destruction. The wide 
mouth of the well seemed to her the entrance 
to hell, or to the grave ; and, in fact, streams 
of air, cold and damp, as if they proceeded 
from an open sepulchre, blew in Sybil’s face. 
The great wheel, with its numberless spokes, 
filled her with a nameless terror, and yet she 
feared to take a single step in search of 
another hiding-place. 

The stillness which reigned around Sybil 
was interrupted from time to time by the fall 
of little scales of plastering, which were de- 
tached by the dampness from the wall, and 
struck the water at the bottom, emitting a 
hollow and doleful sound. Sybil’s alarm and 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


33 


anxiety augmented momentarily ; her teeth 
chattered, and her whole frame trembled. 
She finally decided to quit a place which 
seemed to her so horrible. 

The four wings of the castle of Augustus- 
burg, with their respective courts, were then 
called the linden tower, the summer-house, the 
kitchens and laundry, and the rabbit-house. 
They were each four stories high, the first two 
floors being lofty and vaulted. 

It so chanced that Sybil found the door of 
the rabbit-house open ; a sad coincidence with 
her condition, for she was then more easily 
frightened than any hare ; her conscience left 
her less repose than eager hunters and furious 
dogs. She was afraid of the sound of her 
own footsteps as she crossed the long suites 
of apartments, none of which seemed to offer 
a secure hiding-place. The full moon sent 
long streams of dim light through the narrow 
windows, and all the rest was dark as mid- 
night. As she passed through a large hall, 
her eyes fell upon some gilded frames, en- 


34 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


closing portraits of various persons. They 
seemed to be throwing menacing glances 
upon the little thief, and she fled precipitately 
before their angry frowns. 

In another room, Sybil fancied the noise 
made by the worms gnawing the wood- work 
was the ticking of the death-watch ; and 
wherever she fled, there was always some- 
thing which hindered her from finding the 
repose of which she stood so much in need. 
After the lapse of a considerable time, Sybil 
heard persons moving in the castle court ; the 
castellan had just returned. 

The opposite wing of the manor was soon 
lighted up. Sybil perceived a tall figure 
dressed in white, with a light in its hand, 
which seemed to be coming towards her. A 
new cause for fear! and this time, the little 
trembling and terrified child crouched down 
in a dark corner, where she resolved to pass 
the night, let what would happen. 

The castle clock soon struck midnight ; the 
watchman’s horn was heard immediately af- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


3D 


ter ; and then silence again reigned through 
out the whole building. 

Sybil, tormented by her conscience, was in 
a most unhappy condition. However, a heavy 
sleep finally closed her lids, but her dreams 
were frightful. She fancied herself again in 
the forest gathering bilberries ; she was using 
the stolen comb, when a bear suddenly came 
out from among the bushes, and threw him- 
self upon her, with his great mouth open, and 
growling terribly. Sybil tried to fly, and 
in her fear left behind her the comb, and her 
bowl full of bilberries. Again, she dreamed 
she was with her parents playing with Augus- 
tine, while her mother was busy sorting rags. 
Her father appeared at the door; Augustine 
ran to meet him with cries of joy, while she, 
Sybil, remained seated and trembling; the 
mother then narrated the crime which Sybil 
had committed, and a terrible glance from her 
father made her shudder with a new terror. 
A large fire soon flamed upon the hearth- 
stone, and the father heated a long iron rod ; 


36 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


when the end was red hot, the rag-seller 
approached Sybil, and said, in a voice of 
thunder : “ Since you have been guilty of 
theft, I am going to burn out your eyes ; you 
shall sit in darkness all the rest of your days, 
and will never see to steal again. Open them 
wide then, open them for the last time ! ” 
The iron bar came nearer and nearer; Sybil 
felt the most intense heat, — she shrank back 
in dismay; this movement made her open 
her eyes. She slept no longer, but might 
have fancied herself still dreaming, for a sud- 
den light fell upon her face, which dazzled 
her, and again she closed her lids; still im- 
pressed by the images of her dream, she 
thought she had seen the red-hot iron bar. 
Incapable of speaking or moving, she anx- 
iously awaited the result. Crouched down 
in one corner of the room, and not daring to 
look round her, she distinguished gradually 
the murmuring of two voices, one of which 
was not unknown to her ; it was the hoarse 
voice of the man who kept the bears. 


THE BEARS OP AUGUSTUSBURG. 37 

Give me the bag, Matthew,” said the voice. 

“ Here it is ! ” 

“ And now, remain here while I fill it with 
oats. What trouble it gives one to gain a 
miserable livelihood! When I compare our 
business with that of the castellan! Zounds! 
He understands it better than we do ! — and 
he has not half the trouble ; he quietly robs 
the Elector by the bag-full; he is not forced 
to wander about at midnight, and even if he 
were caught with his hand in the bag, he 
would not be hung ; but we would find no 
mercy if our nocturnal rambles should ever 
be discovered. Tie the bag tight, Matthew ; 
I will put it on your back.” 

All the good and salutary effects which the 
anguish of a tortured conscience, the darkness 
of the night, the growling of the bear, the 
depth and obscurity of the well, the silence 
of the castle, and the fearful images of her 
dreams, had produced upon the soul of Sybil, 
were in an instant destroyed by the words of 
the thief who was stealing the oats. 


4 


38 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


As a thirsty plant absorbs the morning 
dew, so did Sybil listen with avidity to the 
words uttered by the keeper of the bears. 
She was not then the only thief in the world ! 
Having regained a little courage, she opened 
her eyes, which could then bear the light 
emitted by the dark lantern. She perceived 
two men, who had just finished filling a bag 
with the oats which lay in a great heap in the 
middle of the floor. One was preparing to 
lift the bag upon the other’s shoulders. 

“Did you hear nothing?” asked the keeper, 
hurriedly. “ I thought I heard something 
move. K there should be any one here, so 
much the worse for him, for I would give him 
a blow on his head which would deprive him 
of all desire of ever rising again ! ” 

Sybil had made the movement which the 
keeper had heard. Terrified by this menace, 
she endeavored to hide as softly as possible 
behind an immense closet, which was nearly 
as high as the room, and which stood at a 
little distance from the wall. 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


39 


Worms once menaced the very existence of 
Holland, by gnawing and destroying the 
wooden dikes which protected it from the 
fury of the sea ; for you all know that the 
soil of Holland has been conquered from the 
ocean, and is only maintained by watching 
the dikes with the greatest possible care. 
What had happened in Holland had been 
tried with the same success in Augustusburg. 
These insects had so eaten away the feet of 
the closet behind which Sybil had sought a 
refuge, that they yielded to the little push she 
had given, and a scene of confusion ensued 
which no one could describe. 

The above-mentioned closet bore a very 
close resemblance to the figure which once 
appeared in a dream to King Nabuchodono- 
sor, the explanation of which he asked in 
vain of all his magicians, and which he finally 
obtained from the prophet Daniel. 

We will endeavor to describe this piece of 
furniture, and its fall, as well as we can. 
On the top of the closet stood several enor- 


40 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


mous plaster figures, among others one which 
might be considered the head of the vision ; 
the closet itself formed the body, legs, and 
arms, and rested, as the figure of the statue, 
upon feet so fragile, that they yielded to the 
touch of a feeble child. 

First, the plaster busts broke into a thou- 
sand fragments ; the pieces flew in every direc- 
tion, and came near killing the two robbers, 
who were already half dead with fear ; then 
followed the whole closet with all its contents, 
which broke upon the ground making a terri- 
ble clatter, and, fortunately for Sybil, drown- 
ing her cries of fear and dismay. 

“ The ghost ! ” cried Matthew, who let the 
bag fall, and whose courage suddenly van- 
ished. 

“ A spectre ! ” added the keeper, with his 
hoarse voice. 

Both fled precipitately. 

These men were very inconsistent! They 
were afraid of a ghost, of a creation of their 
own imaginations ! but they felt no fear of 


THE BEARS OF AT\ GUSTUSBURG. 


41 


the most powerful and the most holy Being ; 
they had no fear of God, whose existence is 
manifest in all his works. 

The loud noise made by the falling closet 
must have been heard by the other inhabit- 
ants of the castle ; but they doubtless shared 
in the superstition of the two robbers, and 
did not dare immediately to seek the cause. 
Sybil consequently remained until the early 
dawn hidden in the chamber which, according 
to the belief of the people, was haunted by a 
phantom ; but she was then obliged to quit it. 
Leaving the castle, she again took refuge in 
the forest, where, lying down under a bush, 
she endeavored by sleeping to make up for 
lost time. 


4 


CHAPTER III. 


THE RAG-SELLER. 

Fingerling, the rag-seller, had just arrived 
at Oederan with his little cart, to which 
was harnessed his dog Phylax, black as a 
crow. The road led always downward ; but 
he was so heated that his face was red as a 
lobster, and the perspiration rolled down in 
streams. He had taken off his coat, which 
lay upon the cart, and had untied his cravat, 
so that one might see the beating of the 
arteries in his throat. 

Phylax too was very warm ; his tongue 
hung panting from his great jaws, and seemed 
to be endeavoring to cool itself in the sultry 
air. Fingerling stopped with his cart upon 
the market-place ; his dog immediately lay at 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


43 


his feet, and looked upon his master with 
weary and humid eyes. The rag-seller wiped 
the perspiration from his forehead with a 
large cotton handkerchief, and rested himself 
upon his cart, where several sacks containing 
rags afforded him a commodious seat. 

“ You too are very warm, my good Phylax,” 
said he to the dog, which wagged his tail as 
if in assent ; “ do you want a drink ? I think 
so. I am in the same case, and although I 
never heard of a dog’s taking cold, or having 
a hemorrhage from drinking water while he 
was warm, you must nevertheless wait an 
instant. Courage, then ! That fountain be- 
low there, with its fresh, clear water, tempts 
me a thousand times more than did the for- 
bidden fruit our first parents. Ah I unfor- 
tunate forbidden fruit ! It must be confessed 
that you have cost us very dear since the 
beginning of the world ! But I think I have 
yet some little thing left to eat.” 

He drew from his pocket a piece of brown 
bread, which he began to eat, occasionally 


44 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


throwing a piece at the dog. “ You do not 
wish to eat, you would rather drink,” he con- 
tinued, addressing himself to the dog, which 
refused to touch the bread. “ That is be- 
cause you do not know what is good for you. 
You are like the little children, who always 
prefer that which will do them the most 
harm.” 

Fingerling interrupted his monologue to 
finish his meal ; when he had become some- 
what cooler, he unharnessed the dog, and 
went to drink at the fountain which Phylax 
had reached before him, and was already 
slaking his thirst with long draughts of the 
delicious water. Fingerling then took from 
his pocket a little flute with three holes, 
which could consequently produce only three 
sounds, and commenced to play an air in his 
own peculiar fashion. In accordance with 
the proverb, which says that he who does 
not know the end of his song always be- 
gins anew at the commencement, the rag- 
seller repeated, at short intervals, his piercing 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG^ 


45 


and unmelodious air, and then this modern 
Pan or Apollo seated himself upon his cart, 
and quietly awaited an opening for his trade. 

After a short time, two little girls, carrying 
between them* a bundle of rags, ran up to 
him, and timidly explained their intention of 
making an exchange with the travelling mer- 
chant. Fingerling’s face became quite serious 
as he weighed the little bundle in his hands. 
He then opened it to examine its contents, 
piece by piece. 

“ What will you have for your rags ? ” he 
asked of the children. 

“ Whatever you will give us,’’ replied the 
children. 

Fingerling knelt down ne^r his cart. Near 
the bags was a box which he opened ; he 
drew out some tape, of which he gave them 
several yards, to this he added two packages 
of white thread, and finally he placed on the 
third finger of each child’s right hand a pewter 
ring, which shone like silver, notwithstanding 
the simple metal of which it was composed, 


46 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


and in which was set a magnificent brilliant 
of red glass. The expression in the coun- 
tenances of the two little girls suddenly 
changed, and expressed an uncontrollable de- 
light ; they remained quite silent, but they 
looked at each other with pleasure beaming 
from their eyes, and thrust forward their little 
heads to admire the contents of the box, 
which certainly were calculated to excite their 
admiration. They did not pay much atten- 
tion to the pieces of ribbon, the lacings, the 
reels, and other objects useful to the female 
sex ; but they devoured with their eyes those 
things which seemed most precious to them, 
such as the pewter rings and ear-rings, with 
their little red, blue, green, or yellow crystals. 
Fingerling seemed to find great pleasure in 
contemplating the two children ; he finally 
drew a leathern purse from his bosom. It 
was attached to a string around his neck, 
and did not seem to be very heavy or well 
filled. Some time elapsed before Fingerling 
could withdraw his fingers from it, and his 




t 



I 




w 


7'. S t. ny. 

This is all I caj\ give you Tny cliilSren. 


— &a 










THE BEARS OP AUGUSTUSBURG. 


47 


treasure must indeed have been small, since 
after several efforts he only succeeded in find- 
ing a few pennies ; finally, however, he drew 
forth two small coins, bearing the effigy of 
the Saxon Elector, and, placing them in the 
hand of the eldest girl, said : “ This is all I 
can give you, my children ; indeed, I cannot 
in conscience spare you any more.” 

The two little girls went away very well 
satisfied, and Fingerling again began his 
music, looking towards all sides to see if no 
signs would be made to him from the neigh- 
boring houses, which in fact happened several 
times. He then drew his ambulatory shop to 
the place whence the call proceeded, and left it 
to the care of Phylax while he entered the 
houses to drive his little bargains. 

Fingerling did as the pedestrians, who in 
our day travel in Italy : in the street, and in 
public places, he only displayed his empty 
purse, while in the dwellings, and before the 
honest citizens, he drew another from his pan- 
taloons pocket, and this latter contained several 


48 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


pieces of great calibre, according to the ex- 
pression then in use. The expression “ great 
calibre” is certainly well found; for as a large 
ball more surely attains its aim than small 
shot, so do florins and half-florins accomplish 
the end proposed a thousand times better 
than a light battery of farthings and pennies. 

Fingerling was satisfied with small gains, 
and his ambition did not reach beyond the 
most modest expectations ; he was then quite 
contented with the purchases he had made in 
Oederan. He was troubled with no petty 
pride, or he would not have permitted all, 
both great and small, to call him rag-man, 
but would have insisted upon such titles as 
that of “ Purchaser of old linen,” or, perhaps, 
“ Furnisher of crude materials for the manu- 
facture of paper.” 

When he had finished his business at 
Oederan, he went into an inn, where he called 
for sixpence worth of soup, and some bones 
for his dog. Both finished their dinner before 
the house on a stone bench, which served as a 
seat to Fingerling. 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


49 


Fingerling’s was no unimportant business, 
especially in the eyes of the children dwelling 
in the suburbs, and in the small towns ; our 
travelling merchant was soon surrounded by 
several barefooted spectators, all eager to sur- 
vey the contents of that box which was re- 
ported to contain so many marvellous things. 
Among the children was a little girl about 
the age of Fingerling’s Augustine; her eyes 
were very sore, and very much inflamed. The 
rag-seller, touched by compassion for her, said; 
“ Little one, shall I pierce your ears, and put 
a pair of ear-rings in them ? That will cure 
your eyes, and I will ask you nothing, but 
will make you a present of the rings.” 

After this proposition of the honest rag- 
seller, all the other children would willingly 
have had sore eyes; but notwithstanding a 
slight feeling of envy, they persuaded the 
child to submit to the operation ; and to decide 
her, Fingerling drew a pair of shining ear- 
rings with green stones from his box, which 
glittering bribe overcame the little girl’s reluc- 
5 


50 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


tance. Fingerling put a piece of soap behind 
the lobe of her ear, and taking a large, sharp 
needle, he pierced the necessary holes quickly 
and skilfully, thus showing that he was by no 
means unaccustomed to this kind of opera- 
tions. The child did not utter a single cry, 
and Fingerling complimented her upon her 
courage. You should have seen the pride 
and happiness which shone in the child’s 
eyes, when the jewels sparkled in her ears. 

The rag-seller finally continued his way 
towards Schellenberg, where he dwelt. Both 
he and Phylax felt refreshed ; they rapidly 
ascended the long hill, without resting once ; 
Phylax even uselessly wasted the strength of 
his lungs by barking joyfully ; Fingerling 
shared in the gayety of his dog. 

“ You see, Phylax,” said he, “ we shall soon 
be at home ; I am sure you have travelled 
over this same road often enough to know 
that it leads home. Truly, one is better at 
home than anywhere else! Courage, Phy- 
lax, and go on ; we will soon be at the top of 
the mountain.” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


51 


The dog pulled, and Fingerling pushed 
with all his might : both master and servant 
were content. Some creatures require so little 
to make them happy, while others are never 
satisfied, let them have what they may. In 
this case, a few sacks of rags bought for a 
small sum, and the hope of a quiet rest in a 
pleasant home, Avere enough to fill the heart 
of the honest rag-seller with joy and delight. 

The summit was soon reached. Fingerling 
stopped his cart, and seated himself on the 
grass beside it. 

“ Let us breathe a little,” said he to his 
dog ; “ we have worked long enough for the 
present. You have only a vague instinct that 
we will soon be at home; it is a pity you 
cannot understand me when I tell you that 
our Augustusburg lies on the other side of 
this mountain. What a magnificent castle! 
Our . country ought to be very proud of it. 
If I was Elector of Saxony, do you think I 
would leave it uninhabited as it is at present? 
What money must have been spent in the 


52 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


construction of that building ! They say that 
the well alone cost a ton of gold, and that 
every glass of water is worth a penny. The 
Collector read in the Chronicle, that the old 
Augustus himself said, that if a halbert were 
to be placed upright in the ground, and silver 
coins were to be poured over it until the very 
point were covered, the sum would not equal 
that spent in the construction of the gigantic 
castle. Hem ! and what of that ? Why, 
nothing, — for all that money was spent in 
the country, and the poor people had plenty 
of work ; while, now, what becomes of all 
our good Saxon money ? It goes to Poland ! 
never to return. The Collector says that 
Poland swallows up every year at least two 
Augustusburg castles, and that we never get 
even a Polish ox in return ; I mean the four- 
footed ones, for they say there are many two- 
footed ones who have left Poland to come 
to our country. But, my faith ! what is that 
to me ? I can change nothing, and I must 
always pay my taxes just the same. But, 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


53 


Phylax, do you smell nothing ? There must 
be a carrion in this neighborhood. Ah, yes ! 
there is a crow. What quantities of insects 
already cover it, and how busy they are, eat- 
ing up that dead bird ! Fie ! what a strange 
fancy ! what taste ! But that is all right ; 
the Creator wills that nothing should be lost ; 
he can so change the most disgusting objects, 
that we no longer recognize them, and even 
find them most delicious. The worms eat 
the dead bodies ; the birds eat the worms ; 
and we in our turn eat the birds without re- 
pugnance, and without troubling ourselves 
how they are fed, and how their flesh has 
acquired so delicate a flavor. It is just the 
same with rny rags. If a dainty young lady, 
well dressed and perfumed, were forced to 
touch them, I believe she would use a pair of 
pincers. But when they are transformed into 
fine, glazed, satin paper, she not only suffers 
her white arm and her delicate hand to rest 
upon it, but, if she could not immediately find 
a paper-cutter, she might even pass it across 


54 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


her rosy lips, that it might tear the more 
readily. 

“ Let no one, then, speak ill of my rags, for 
if they were endowed with the faculty of 
speech, they might tell many a strange tale, 
and teach us more than half the books and 
manuscripts manufactured from their sub- 
stance. The biography of a shirt or a hand- 
kerchief might surpass in interest that of 
many a celebrated man. I bought to-day in 
Oederan a bundle of rags on which were 
several blood-stains, both great and small. 
The woman who sold them to me ^aid they 
proceeded from a hemorrhage which her son 
had had, and of which he had died. But 
who knows if that is the simple truth ? Who 
can tell if these rags have not been the mute 
witnesses of an assassination or a murder ? 
God alone, our Lord and Master, knows the 
truth, and will reveal the most hidden secrets.” 

Fingerling had still many mountains to 
scale, and many valleys to cross ; but finally, 
towards evening, he arrived at the little town 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


55 


of Schellenberg. He gayly saluted the near- 
est houses, and the dog, notwithstanding the 
weight behind him, ran on so fast, that he 
could scarcely keep pace with him. Finger- 
ling entered the street in which he dwelt, and 
rejoiced in the anticipation of meeting and 
embracing his family. He looked about on 
all sides to see if he could not perceive his 
little Augustine, who, like the other children, 
was more often to be found in the street than 
in the house. All at once, he saw the people 
coming out of their houses, and all running 
in the direction of Augustusburg. A woman, 
who was hastening in the same direction, 
clasped her hands when she saw Fingerling, 
and cried out : “ O neighbor ! what a mis- 
fortune ! How I pity you ! Prepare yourself 
for something terrible ! ” 

She then pursued her way, without making 
any reply to the rag-seller’s questions ; the 
poor man was of course quite astonished and 
terrified at what she had just said to him. 

Fingerling’s joy had vanished all at once, 


56 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


like a soap-bubble ; he stopped his cart. 
Ought he to follow the others, or go first to 
his home ? He did not take long to consider, 
but followed his neighbors as fast as he could. 
His faithful dog howled and endeavored to 
accompany him, but was prevented by the 
heavy cart. He succeeded, however, by mak- 
ing a great effort, in pulling it forward a few 
steps, and even in upsetting it, but could not 
free himself from his harness. He filled the 
air with his melancholy howls, but no one 
came to the assistance of the poor beast. 


CHAPTER IV. 


THE bears’ den. 

It was Saturday evening; the day conse- 
crated to repose was at hand, and the week 
with all its labors and troubles was passed. 
Who would not have been content with such 
a prospect before him ? The women had still 
some washing and cleaning to do, so that 
they were not sorry when their husbands went 
out. Besides, this summer evening was so 
beautiful, that it seemed to invite them to 
enjoy it ; consequently, masters, workmen, 
apprentices, young men, young girls, boys, 
children with their nurses, in short, nearly 
every one, assembled near the bears’ den at 
the castle, and all seemed to be highly amused 
with the motions of these comical animals. 
Those among the dwellers in Schellenberg 


58 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


who could afford to buy a glass of beer, and 
spend a few pennies for their amusement, had 
taken possession of the ninepin alley which 
ran along the outside of the wall bounding 
the bears’ den. There, without in the least 
derogating from liis dignity as burgomaster, 
the comb-maker Winzler had taken oft his 
coat, and all the rest had followed his exam- 
ple ; even the electoral collector of taxes and 
contributions was taking his ease, that he 
might pass the evening as pleasantly as pos- 
sible. The balls rolled, the pins were knocked 
down; the boy proclaimed the fortunate play- 
ers ; these latter laughed, while the losers 
grumbled; and on the other. side of the wall 
the imprisoned children of the forest, the 
bears, growled terribly, enraged at hearing so 
unusual a clamor. 

The other inhabitants of Schellenberg stood 
near the wall, which at this point was very 
low, and looked down into the den at the 
bears, whose agility and strange grimaces 
were highly diverting 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


59 


The father of Augustus, the collector, was 
a determined and enthusiastic player at nine- 
pins, which fact might easily be discovered 
from the manner in which he set about the 
game. While the boy was still arranging 
the pins, he was ready to play, and measured 
the distance with his eye, while he made all 
due allowances for the accidents of position. 
Then he stooped, and never threw his ball 
without having first well calculated the neces- 
sary force. The collector’s play did not really 
begin until after the ball had left his hands. 
He followed it with his keen eyes like those 
of Argus, and, if it threatened to roll to one 
side, and miss its aim, he bent his body in 
the opposite direction, and gesticulated as if 
he could still direct it, and force it to change 
its course. His very feet were not inactive, 
as the ball rolled in the one or the other direc- 
tion. When, on the contrary, it kept the 
middle bravely, the collector’s hands and 
arms executed a whirlwind, as if to show 
the ball the rotatory motion which it should 


60 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


pursue among the pins. To these peculiarities 
did the collector owe the attention he excited 
whenever his turn came to play. It was only 
necessary to announce this fact, and imme- 
diately all the participants hastened towards 
the alley to be spectators of the game. 

But on that day the spectators were entirely 
wanting ; they must then have found some- 
thing more interesting in the bears’ den. Mr. 
Gro’ssel’s hands (for so was the collector 
named) had just executed a windmill after 
the most approved fashion. Napoleon him- 
self could not have been better pleased at 
beholding the enemy’s regiments overthrown 
by his artillery, than was the Collector Gro’s- 
sel at the sight of the pins falling before his 
successful ball. Not a single one remained 
standing ; aU, without exception, lay prostrate 
on the field of battle ; and the boy opened 
^ his mouth wide as he could, while he cried 
out : “ The whole, nine are down ! Three 
cents for ” The rest was either un- 

spoken, or was drowned by the cries pro- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


61 


ceeding from the crowd encircling the bears’ 
den. There was, however, a great difference 
between these sounds and the cries of joy- 
uttered by the boy who set up the pins, 
and who, strange to say, immediately de- 
serted his post, forgot his play, and hastened 
to the point whence the sounds proceeded ; 
the players followed his example, and the 
collector was obliged to follow them as rear- 
guard. They saw the people who stood round 
the wall, pale, frightened, and trembling ; all 
eyes were turned towards the deep ditch 
forming the den in which the bears were 
confined. 

Exclamations were heard on all sides. 

“ Great God ! I cannot bear to see it ! O 
the poor mother ! Can no one aid her ! ” 

The Collector was met by his son, as pale 
as death, and shivering with horror. In- 
deed, it was not my fault ! Some one pushed 
me behind, and I could not help pushing 
too ! ” exclaimed the child. 

“ But what is the matter ? What has hap- 


62 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


pened ? ” asked the collector, using both el- 
bows to open a passage for himself through 
the crowd. 

Everybody answered at once by pointing 
towafrds the ditch, their countenances ex- 
pressive of the deepest horror.* After some 
trouble, the collector reached the place, and 
looked over the low wall. He was near that 
part of the garden which bore the name of 
the bear-trap ; it was a corner separated from 
the rest of the den by a sliding-door, which 
offered all the necessary facilities for catch- 
ing the bears, and shutting them up in iron 
cages. They were thus transported to the 
capital, when they were required to figure 
in the combats occasionally exhibited, in 
which they had comported themselves most 
honorably. This sliding-door was usually 
kept raised. The crowd had succeeded in 
enticing one of the bears into the corner 
whence they could more closely admire his 
graceful gestures. Although Master Bruin’s 
gymnastic feats were far from equalling in 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


63 


agility and variety those of a tame bear, the 
good people of Schellenberg, who were easily 
satisfied, were never weary of watching them. 

But what a horrible spectacle presented it- 
self to the collector’s eyes ! A child, a little 
girl of about four years old, was lying, or 
rather sitting, in the bear-trap, and surveyed 
with evident fear and disquietude the crowd 
assembled on the top of the wall, although 
she by no means comprehended the danger 
of her situation. She seemed to have broken 
one arm in her fall, for it hung loosely by her 
side. She threw a glance of silent reproach 
towards the little girl who should have taken 
better care of her, while the unfortunate little 
nurse cried out, clasping and wringing her 
hands : “ Indeed ! indeed ! it was not my 
fault. Augustus pushed me, and I came near 
falling myself.” 

Following the example of our first parents, 
their descendants are always ready to lay 
the blame of their deeds upon the heads of 
others. Thus did Augustus Gro’ssel, as well 


64 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


as Sybil ; for the little one who had fallen 
into the den was the rag-seller’s daughter, 
A-ugustine. 

When Sybil, as we have already related, 
»/ad slept daring several hours in the forest, 
hunger forced her to return to her parents. 
Mrs Fingerling. who had passed the night 
in a state of great disquiet, not knowing 
what had become cf the child, felt quite re- 
lieved at seeing her. She consequently re- 
ceived her with less se^’^erity than she would 
have done uiider any other circumstances, and 
determined to postpon”*. the punishment of the 
little thief until her busl «ii}d should return. 

The noise which had diaturbed the castle 
of Augustusburg during \hc night had been 
followed by no consequencv^s- At the break 
of day, the bear-keeper’s companion ventured 
into the room to carry away tbe bag, which 
might have revealed the true vause of the 
disturbance. The fall of the clo'ct was at- 
tributed solely to the worm-eater condition 
of its feet; so that, in the end, a 1 finished 
by deriding the fancied apparition. 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


65 


After this little digression, let us return to 
the bears’ den. 

Augustine had not long been, so to speak, 
in the power of the bear, when the animal, 
which was lying at some distance from the 
spot on which the child had fallen, rose, and 
came towards her. 

Then all the spectators, old and young, 
began to shout as loudly as possible, hoping 
to hinder the bear from falling upon the little 
girl ; but it is well known that a bear’s skin 
is very tough, and his ears are not a whit 
more tender ; so that, without troubling him- 
self in the least about these noisy demon- 
strations, Master Bruin gravely approached 
the little Augustine. The women fancied her 
already torn to pieces, and turned away their 
heads in horror. As for the men, they grew 
pale, and their very hairs stood on end. The 
bear soon reached the child, who was crying ; 
he raised his huge paw, but immediately let 
it fall again without injuring her. • 

The spectators breathed. Bruin smelled 
6 * 


66 


THE BEARS OF AUGUST tJSBURG. 


the little one upon all sides, and then stood 
motionless by her side ; finally he laid himself 
down, and rested his head upon Augustine’s 
shoulder. What anxiety ! So ferocious an 
animal, beside so innocent a lamb ! 

Augustine made a movement of terror, and 
tried to escape from so dangerous a neighbor- 
hood ; but the bear gave a terrible growl, and 
the people cried to the child to remain quite 
quiet. Everything continued thus during a 
half-hour. The ninepins were entirely aban- 
doned, and even the collector’s nine-strike had 
been completely forgotten. 

One man left the crowd to inform the 
child’s mother in Schellenberg, and another, 
to call the keeper of the bears from the cas- 
tle. All the inhabitants who still remained 
in Schellenberg, and who could in any way 
leave it, followed the mother, who hastened 
with all possible speed to the dreadful scene. 

No one can depict the poor woman’s agony 
as she beheld her cherished little one in the 
power of this formidable animal. The child 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


67 


still wept, and cried out : “ Mother, I am so 
afraid ! ” 

Noack, the keeper of the bears, also came, 
but not quite so swiftly. He said, grumbling: 
“ I told you long ago that this would happen. 
You would push and jostle a? if you were 
scrambling for cakes, and not meddling with 
savage bears. And now you call upon me 
to help you out of your trouble ; but how ? 
That is the point. It is true that the bears 
know ine ; but indeed if I were Bruin’s own 
brother I could not venture to take the child 
away from him. What use is it for me to 
spend a whole year in taming them, if a 
single fight at Dresden undoes all my work ? 
If we had had one recently, the child would 
have, been devoured long ago. That devilish 
fellow has tremendous jaws, and teeth as 
long as my little finger. With one crunch, 
he could crush the child’s head like a ripe 
plum.” 

Such speeches were certainly not calculated 
to encourage the by-standers, and the unfor- 


68 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


tunate mother became more and more despair- 
ing. She wrung her hands, and besought the 
men to make some attempt to save her child, 
and, finally, an experiment was agreed upon. 

They first threw all kinds of eatables into 
the den, thereby hoping to divert the bear’s 
attention, and induce him to forget the child. 
The proprietor of the nine-pin alley had ap- 
plied to this purpose all his smoked meat and 
sausages. 

Among the eatable projectiles were some 
truly magnificent sausages. They hoped thus 
to stimulate the bear’s appetite. But what 
is dead, smoked meat, in comparison with the 
fresh, tender, and palpitating flesh of a young 
child ? Had the bear suffered himself to have 
been seduced by such allurements, it might 
well have been said that he had exchanged a 
pigeon in the hand for a sparrow on the roof. 

“ You see now,” cried the keeper, with a 
triumphant air, “ you see that I give my 
beasts plenty of food, and keep nothing for 
myself. I tell you, if Bruin had been hun- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


69 


gry, he would have eaten up the child long 
ago, or at least he would have fallen upon the 
meat thrown to him.” 

This first means having failed, it became 
necessary to try another. 

“ Try to get out of the den,” they said to 
Augustine, “ and go into the garden ; but go 
slowly, as if you were taking a walk.” 

The little girl obeyed through instinct ; she 
rose, trembling, and slowly approached the 
opening which led to the larger division of 
the den. At this sight, all eyes were filled 
with tears of compassion, and then first did 
they perceive that Augustine had sprained 
her ankle ; she limped as she walked. Her 
broken arm hung uselessly by her side. The 
bear followed Augustine as if he had been 
her shadow, and, without lifting his muzzle 
from her shoulder, he seemed like a wicked 
cat, finding pleasure in torturing a poor little 
mouse, or an enormous serpent, writhing 
around the fragile form of a young bird, or 
perhaps still more like an ugly black spider 
entangling a fly in his web. 


70 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


This experiment was no more successful 
than the first; the bear was by no means dis- 
posed to permit the child to move a single 
step from him, and a third attempt was made, 
much more adventurous than either of the 
others. 

In the wall enclosing the den, near the trap, 
was a door, which opened towards the inside. 
They determined to open it; several men 
were to be stationed on the outside, and by 
showing themselves to the bear, attract his 
attention towards themselves. During this 
time, the child was to return as quickly as 
possible into the trap, and then the door of 
the den was to be lowered as quickly as pos- 
sible, that she might thus be separated from 
the bear. 

At this moment, Fingerling, Augustine’s 
father, arrived. He was entirely out of 
breath. As soon as he came near the den 
he cried in despair, “ My child ! my poor 
child ! Are you still alive ? Or is all over ? 
Let me come near that savage beast ; I will 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


71 


save my child, or lose my own life in the 
attempt ! ” 

“ Back ! ” cried the other men to the rag- 
seller, who was approaching with great im- 
petuosity. Your haste can only hinder us ; 
we must act with coolness and deliberation. 
Back, Fingerling, if you wish your child to 
be saved ! ” 

‘‘ Come here ! ” cried Fingerling’s wife, who 
then stood upon the wall at a point but little 
raised above the ground. “ Let us pray to 
God that he may preserve our child ! ” 

The husband and wife embraced without 
speaking a single word. They then turned 
their eyes towards Augustine, whom they 
already regarded as lost. 

Three men, who well understood the dan- 
ger of the situation, the burgomaster, the col- 
lector, and the parish clerk, carefully opened 
the door, without however abandoning the 
button of the bolt. They had already told 
the child that she must hasten into the trap 
as soon as the bear left her. Several men 


72 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


stood ready to let down the door of the trap 
as quickly as possible. During all this time 
the keeper alone remained quiet, under the 
pretext that the bear, knowing him, would 
not leave the child. 

When he heard the door grate upon its 
hinges, the bear turned his head, and quitted 
his position ; he uttered a deep and menacing 
growl, and opened his great mouth, red as 
blood, and furnished with long and pointed 
teeth. He went first slowly, and then more 
rapidly, towards the men who stood in the 
doorway. When he was about ten feet from 
the opening, he stopped, and prepared to fall 
upon them. 

“ My God ! grant us thine aid ! ” cried the 
mother upon her knees. 

“ Aid us, good God ! said Sybil, sob- 
bing; “indeed I am innocent.” 

“ Almighty God! Thou who didst protect 
Daniel in the lion’s den, come to my child’s 
assistance,” prayed Fingerling, in a voice 
heard far above the rest. 


THE BEAl S OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


73 


The three suppliants raised their hands to- 
wards heaven. A silence as of death reigned 
throughout the whole crowd. They were so 
intent that they scarcely dared to breathe, for 
the bear had just thrown himself towards the 
door. The die was cast, and the stake was 
life or death. 

“ Come quickly, and save yourself ! ” cried 
a hundred voices at once to the child. 

The three men had closed the door in time, 
and the bear’s paw had driven the bolt into 
the lock. Furious, he turned towards the 
child, who had risen, and was running towards 
the trap with all her might. 

If fear, if the pain caused by her sprained 
ankle, if her broken arm, had suddenly de- 
prived the child of her strength ! If the 
sliding door, which had not been used for a 
long time, and which did not move easily in 
its grooves, should refuse to close tightly ! If 
the bear, which sprang forward with a furious 
yell, should reach his prey before the door 
could be closed ! The possibility, the proba- 
7 


74 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


bility, of one of these three cases, was fear- 
ful; each one thought of them, and all re- 
mained motionless and silent. Not a word, 
not a syllable, escaped their lips ; their sup- 
pressed breathing alone gave evidence of their 
feelings. 

The little Augustine, who, notwithstanding 
her extreme youth, was very intelligent, had 
just entered the trap. The sliding door de- 
scended with a great noise, and fell upon the 
bear’s foot, which the animal withdrew with 
a renewed howl of pain and anger. 

Augustine was saved! Saved! But her 
mother had entirely lost her consciousness ; 
she had fainted. As for Fingerling, he gave 
all his attention to his child, who had just 
been restored to him. Not a second had 
elapsed before he was already in the den, and 
pressing his dear Augustine to his heart. He 
then took her upon his knees, calling her by 
the most tender names. In the excess of his 
joy he did not perceive that Augustine em- 
braced him with her left arm only, and en- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 75 

deavored to preserve the other from all con- 
tact. Sybil came after her father, and tried 
to explain that it was not her fault that 
Augustine had fallen into the den. A ladder 
was lowered into the trap, which Augustine 
ascended with her father and Sybil. Mean- 
while, the mother had recovered from her 
swoon, and now shared the joy of her hus- 
band, with whom she disputed Augustine’s 
caresses. 

While the crowd surrounded the parents 
and their children restored to happiness, while 
they joyfully felicitated them upon the happy 
termination of this dreadful scence, the game 
of nine-pins was recommenced, and the last 
stroke of the collector, which had won the 
game, received its proper valuation. As for 
the poor bear, he uttered the most ferocious 
growls, and walked up and down his prison, 
seeking in vain the child for whom he had 
conceived such an affection. It was long 
before he became quite calm, and then he 
went and lay down sadly in a corner. 


CHAPTER V. 


THE JUDGMENT. 

Fingerling returned with his family to his 
house, followed by a numerous escort. He 
carried Augustine in his arms, while the 
mother, who walked by his side, held her 
uninjured hand. 

All Schellenberg was afoot ; the village 
surgeon, Beyer, proffered his assistance, which 
was immediately accepted. 

He found the left ankle sprained, and the 
upper bone in the arm fractured. Cold-water 
bandages would soon cure the foot, but the 
arm required longer and more serious at- 
tention. 

‘‘ Neighbor Stimmel and friend Meisel,” 
saiJ the physician to two of the men who 
with many other curious individuals filled the 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


77 


rag-seller’s room, “ help me to hold the child 
while I dress her arm. Neither the father nor 
the mother can do it; for if the pain should 
make the little one scream, I am sure they 
would loose their hold at the most important 
moment, and all would be ruined. But the 
rest of you, who can be of no use, must go 
out; you are in the way, and would only 
hinder me. Go, then, I pray you, or I shall 
be obliged to send for an officer to clear the 
room.” 

The crowd dispersed, and the physician 
began the operation. One of the two men 
whom he had named held the child, while 
the other, following the surgeon’s directions, 
pulled the broken arm strongly and steadily 
towards him, until Mr. Beyer was sure that 
the two parts of the bone were in their proper 
positions, and united exactly. The arm was 
then carefully bandaged, and protected by 
wooden splints. 

Augustine bore this painful operation with 
much courage and firmness. Not a cry es- 
7 * 


78 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


caped her poor lips compressed with pain, and 
she kept her eyes, which were filled with tears, 
steadily fixed upon her mother. 

Sybil, with clasped hands, stood in one 
corner, regarding the little patient with a wild 
and anxious air. 

“ My child,” said Beyer, when the operation 
was finished, “ you have behaved bravely, 
and might shame many a man ; you shall 
have some sugar-plums to-morrow. Poor 
child ! you came very near being torn in 
pieces by that terrible bear with his huge 
jaws. Let any one deny after this that there 
is a special Providence for children, and guar- 
dian angels to protect them from all kinds of 
dangers. A quieting draught will now be of 
great use to you. It will refresh your blood, 
and diminish the fever which will soon make 
its appearance. A little sleep, too, will aid 
you wonderfully. Only you must all be care- 
ful that she does not move her arm too much 
while the fever is upon her. You see, Augus- 
tine, if you remain very quiet, and if you 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


79 


follow my directions exactly, your arm will 
soon be entirely well, and stronger than it 
was before. But tell me, how did you come 
to fall into the bears’ den ? ” 

At this question, Sybil’s pale face flushed 
crimson, which seemed a sure token of guilt 
to all who beheld it. 

“ Yes, how did it happen ? ” asked the 
parents. 

“ I was standing near the wall,” replied 
Sybil, “ and I was holding Augustine in my 
arms to show her the bear. • Augustus, the 
collector’s son, was looking over my shoulder. 
All at once he gave me a push from behind ; 
I lost my balance, and if I -had not clung to 
the wall I should have fallen into the den. 
But I do not know myself how Augustine 
fell from my arms, I was so frightened.” 

“ My poor little Augustine,” said Mrs. Fin- 
gerling, “ was sitting in the bears’ den like a 
tender bird menaced by the talons of an eagle. 
What were you thinking jof, my child ? ” 

“ I was afraid,” replied the little girl, en- 


80 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


deavoring to smile ; “ it terrified me to hear 
every one cry out so loud.” 

“ Mr. Bruin must be very fond of children,” 
said the surgeon. “ I warrant you, he would 
not have spared me so long had I fallen 
under his nose. But do I not hear some- 
thing growling ? ” 

In fact, just then the prolonged howl of an 
animal was distinctly heard. 

“ It is my dog,” exclaimed Fingerling, 
hastily. The poor beast ! I had entirely 
forgotten him during Augustine’s danger.” 

“ I will go with you,” said the physician, 
seeing that the rag-seller was preparing to go 
out. 

“ Ah ! there is your dog, with his cart 
upset,” exclaimed Beyer, as soon as they 
reached the street. “ His cries are really 
touching-; he is probably wearied with his 
uncomfortable position. But I had forgotten. 
The collector desired me to say to you not 
to distress yourself, concerning the expenses 
of your little girl’s illness, for he intends to 


THE BEARS OP AUGUSTUSBURG. 


81 


bear them, as his son was the cause, although 
involuntary, of Augustine’s fall.” 

“ May God reward him ! ” said Fingerling 
gratefully, “ and you, too. Doctor, for the good 
care you have taken of my child.” 

He then lifted up the sacks, and replaced 
them on the cart, which he drove into his 
little garden. Phylax was finally set at lib- 
erty, and testified his joy by a series of short, 
quick barks, with a running accompaniment 
of frolicsome leaps and gambols. 

Mrs. Fingerling perhaps thought it better 
to swallow a bitter cup at a single draught, 
than to drink it drop by drop, or perhaps 
she shared a weakness belonging to many 
of her sex, who find it difficult to restrain 
the expression of anything weighing on their 
minds. In short, scarcely had tranquillity 
again been established in the rag-seller’s house, 
when his wife related to him the fault com- 
mitted by Sybil the evening before, during 
his absence, and how she had passed the 
night out of the house. 


82 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

The rag-seller could not swallow the morsel 
he was conveying to his mouth. The little 
thief turned away her head, and grew pale 
beneath the severe look cast upon her by her 
adoptive father. 

“ We have then brought up a little crimi- 
nal ! ” cried Fingerling, laying down his knife 
in dismay ; “ a thief ! Good Heaven ! is this 
our reward ? Unfortunate child, do you still 
dare to remain in my presence ? ’’ 

Sybil began to cry. “ I will never do so 
again ; it was only a comb,” she said, sob- 
bing, and hiding her face in her apron. 

“ Only a comb ! ” replied Fingerling, an- 
grily ; “ only a pin ! only a pencil ! So dc 
all thieves excuse themselves. But I tell you 
that if you only give one of your hairs to 
the Devil, you will be his for ever, for people 
always begin with little things, and end with 
great ones. Do you remember the terms of 
God’s commandment? It says. Thou shalt 
not steal. God does not say. Thou shalt 
not commit great robberies, but thou may- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


83 


est take little things. The Holy Scripture 
says, ‘ Robbers shall not enter into the king- 
dom of Heaven ’ ; and the word of God is 
true ; what he promises, he will perform. Do 
not deceive yourself; God is terrible in his 
chastisements. Theft too always brings ly- 
ing in its train. But God also exterminates 
liars. It is not alone I who say this, but the 
Almighty God himself. He is just, and pun- 
ishes those who disobey his holy command- 
ments.’^ 

The keeper of the bears says that, the 
Castellan of Augustusburg steals as much 
as any one else, and perhaps more,” replied 
Sybil, endeavoring to excuse herself. 

“ And even if the Elector himself were to 
steal,” cried the irritated rag-seUer, “ if the 
number of thieves should be beyond all our 
powers of computation, that would be no 
excuse for robbery. Thus will the goats, 
whom the Lord will place upon his left hand 
at the day of judgment, also be innumerable, 
and they will be sent into eternal fire. I love 


84 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


my little Augustine dearly, but if I knew 
that she would ever become a thief, I would 
prefer, may God pardon me ! that she should 
have been devoured to-day by the bear. And 
she will become a thief if she remains in 
your society. You must then leave my house, 
and go to the orphan asylum.” 

‘‘ Ah, my dear father, no ! no ! ” cried Sybil, 
embracing Fingerling’s knees. ‘‘ I assure you 
I will do so no more.” 

“ All thieves caught in the act say the 
same,” replied the rag-seller. “ But no one 
can tell whether they speak the truth or not.” 

“ Do not frighten her too much,” whispered 
Mrs. Fingerling to her husband ; “ she will 
run away again.” 

“ Let her do it ! ” replied Fingerling ; “ we 
should lose nothing. On the contrary, the 
loss would be hers, for she would be without 
a home.” 

“ Go, take the dog something to eat,”' said 
Mrs. Fingerling to Sybil, “ and give him some 
fresh water.” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


85 


When the child had left the room, the 
woman said gently to her husband : “ We 
must not be too severe with the little girl. 
I think her mother is in a great degree the 
cause of her fault. She neglected the child. 
Do you remember that unhappy day when 
your sister-in-law took a piece of ribbon 
from the counter at the fair, and attempted 
to carry it off with her. Indeed I fear that 
Sybil has inherited her mother’s failing, and 
we should thence be the more indulgent.” 

“ No ! no ! ” replied Fingerling, hastily. 
“ Have we not all inherited the original sin 
of our first parents ? But a merciful God 
has given us strength to resist temptation. 
‘ Resist the Devil,’ says Holy Writ, ‘ and he 
will flee from thee.’ If, with God’s aid, we 
cannot succeed in correcting Sybil, and pre- 
venting a repetition of her fault, she must 
go. I was so happy and contented as I 
came near my home, I had succeeded so 
well! Several days had elapsed since I had 
seen you all, and I counted upon passing 
8 


86 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


such a happy Sunday, when all these mis- 
fortunes came at once. There is then nothing 
but deception in the world ! ” 

Fingerling continued to complain until he 
went to bed, for his wife would not permit 
him to watch by Augustine’s couch, as' she 
was sure he must be fatigued, and need re- 
pose after so long and wearisome a journey. 
She took this care upon herself. Fingerling 
slept soundly until midnight, when he rose 
and went to see his child. Augustine slept 
quietly in the soft light shed by the little 
chamber-lamp. The mother was seated at 
the head of the bed, with her eyes closed. 

Fingerling thought over all the events of 
the preceding day. He had very nearly lost 
his dear little Augustine, his chief joy upon 
the earth ; he suddenly remembered that he 
had not yet thanked God for having so 
miraculously rescued her. The chief cause 
of this was the trouble occasioned by Sybil’s 
fault. 

“But,” asked he of himself, “have I not per- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


87 


mitted my anger to carry me too far ? The 
Holy Scripture says, that if any one commits 
a fault, we must endeavor by gentle words 
again to lead him into the right way. And 
have I not permitted myself to be governed 
by my anger ? ” 

These reflections banished sleep from Fin- 
gerling’s eyes. He first repaired his forget- 
fulness by thanking God, then dressed him- 
self, took his lamp, and went into the principal 
room, where Sybil slept upon an old sofa. 
He placed the light upon the ground, and 
took a seat at Sybil’s side. He could not 
look without emotion upon the little girl, 
whose eyes were closed, and whose hands 
were crossed upon her breast. She had prob- 
ably wept herself to sleep, as her eyes were 
red and inflamed. 

“ I too am a sinner,” said Fingerling to 
himself, “ although I am no robber. If God 
were to judge me, my sins would weigh 
heavily in the balance. This little girl is my 
own niece, and my brother commended her 


88 


THE BFA.RS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


to my care with his dying breath. I must 
then have patience with her.” 

Sybil opened her eyes, but closed them 
immediately on beholding her uncle. The 
latter then said to her in a gentle voice, 
placing his right hand paternally upon that 
of the child: — 

“ You are awake, my child ; I too watch, 
and for your sake ; your fate torments me, 
and hinders my sleeping. Listen then, atten- 
tively. You know how I love you, and re- 
member well what I am about to say to you. 

“ Every thief, of course, steals that he may 
be more happy, and may improve his condi- 
tion ; but he merely renders himself more 
unhappy. Thieves only bring shame to 
themselves ; they are detested, despised, and 
abandoned by every one. Their name is dis- 
honored, and no one pities them. They are 
taken to the house of correction, or even, 
perhaps, to the scaffold. You can keep the 
stolen object but a short time, while you will 
long repent the theft, on account of the mis- 


THE BEAKS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


89 


cries which its consequences will cause you? 
Honesty is better than riches. You rest now 
on a soft couch, sheltered by a roof, while 
during the past night your conscience led you 
up and down, hither and thither; and who 
can tell what dangers may not have menaced 
you? Where were you? Where did you 
pass the night?” 

Sybil would not at first give any answer to 
this question, but she finally yielded to Fin- 
gerling’s entreaties, and related all her adven- 
tures. Her recital was frequently interrupted 
by tears. . 

“ You see, my child,” said Fingerling, “ how 
easy it is for a thief to become an assassin 
when he is surprised in the act of stealing. 
If those robbers of the heap of oats had seen 
you, your life would certainly have been in 
danger. What have you not already suffered 
as a punishment for your theft of a comb ! 

Those blinded robbers were afraid, and 
fled before a spectre existing solely in their 
imaginations, while they had no fear of an 
8 * 


90 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


dll-seeing God. My child, when I approached 
your bed a few moments since, there was 
already some one near you ; God was with 
you, as he is now, and as he is near every 
one throughout the whole world. He is with 
the robber in the darkness of the night, and 
warns him when about to commit a crime. 
God is present when men steal, and he pun- 
ishes them when the proper time has come. 
These two thieves will then, sooner or later, 
receive their chastisement. You may be sure 
of it. The pitcher that goes too often to the 
well will be broken at last. If the robbers 
knew that a little girl saw them, they would 
have been very much frightened. Well, then, 
Sybil, if you wish God to forgive you, and 
punish you no more, you must ask his par- 
don for your fault. As for the punishment 
which comes from men, you must bear it 
patiently, and must do all in your power to 
re-establish your reputation, by the most ex- 
emplary conduct. Even if I were to beg the 
school-children and the master never to speak 


THE BEARS OP AUGUSTUSBURG. 


91 


of the fault committed by you day before 
yesterday, it would do no good, for such 
things fly like lightning. May God bless and 
protect you ! Good night ! ” 

Fingerling held out his hand to Sybil, and 
pressed 1 kiss upon her brow as a sign of 
reconciliation. He then went again to bed. 

Although Fingerling was only a rag-seller, 
he had received a good education ; he pos- 
sessed, considerable intelligence, and had read 
much, especially the Bible, so that he could 
express himself very properly and correctly. 

The next morning Augustine complained a 
little of some pain in her broken arm ; but it 
was chiefly caused by the pressure of the 
splints surrounding it. The fever had not 
been violent, and her fright had produced no 
serious consequences. 

Fingerling passed the early morning in 
brushing his Sunday clothes, in cutting his 
somewhat uncouth beard, and in waxing his 
shoes. 

“ Bender thanks to God,” said he to his 


92 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


family. “ If I knew any one who would take 
care of Augustine, I would wish you, my 
dear wife, to accompany me to church. I 
enjoy it in anticipation, and my eyes fill with 
tears when I think upon the sermon that will 
be preached to-day. Our good pastor will 
probably allude to the danger to which our 
child was exposed. Augustine’s situation in 
the bears’ den was very like Daniel’s when 
he was thrown to the lions, and the fact was 
so open, and witnessed by so many ! Are 
you ready, Sybil? We should not be the 
last at church to-day.” 

As soon as the^first stroke of the bell was 
heard, Fingerling prepared to depart. He ap- 
proached Augustine’s bed, gave her his hand, 
and said : God wills that little children too 
shall return him thanks ; he proved it yester- 
day, and I will thank him in your name. 
May God be ever with you in the future ! ” 

Fingerling, accompanied by Sybil, was al- 
ready near the door, when it opened, and a 
young boy entered the room. 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


93 


“ Good day, Uncle ! Good day, Aunt ! ” 
said he, pressing their hands. “ Ho, Sybil ! 
are you quite well ? But where is the little 
one ? Can she be stUl asleep ? ” 

“ Can this boy already know the history 
of the bears, and has he come to see us on 
that account ? ” asked Fingerling of his wife. 
“ That is hardly possible, although bad news, 
like good news, sometimes flies with incredi- 
ble rapidity. But the boy’s presence shows 
me the possibility of seeing you at church 
with me. Gottlob is intelligent, and is be- 
sides a favorite with Augustine ; he will take 
good care of her. Quick, dear wife, and 
dress yourself ! ” 

While his wife made a hurried toilette, the 
rag-seller said to Sybil’s brother : “ Had you 
heard, Gottlob, ^that Augustine had broken 
her arm, and how ? ” 

“ Broken her arm ! ” cried Gottlob, fright- 
ened ; “ I knew nothing of it.” 

“ Augustine wiU then tell you all about it 
herself, while you sit with her. Yes, my 


94 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


child, you came very near never seeing her 
again. She will tell you all about it. Come, 
children, the bell is ringing for the second 
time!” And Fingerling, with his family, went 
towards the church. 


CHAPTER VI. 


FORTUNE AND MISFORTUNE. 

The rag-seller had been correct in his con- 
jecture, and the pastor chose Augustine’s re- 
cent danger and miraculous deliverance as 
the subject of his sermon. He compared her 
to Daniel in the lion’s den. The rag-seller’s 
family thence became the object of general 
attention, an honor which they never before 
enjoyed. Fingerling was deeply edified, and 
prayed to God with much fervor. 

After the service was over, Fingerling 
awaited the pastor before the door of the 
church, that he might thank him ; and then 
went in search of the three men who, the 
evening before, had risked their own lives to 
save his child from the clutches of the bear. 


96 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


But Sybil was not permitted to follow her 
adoptive parents into the burgomaster’s house. 
She remained outside of the door as a kind of 
punishment for her fault. The last person to 
whom the rag-seller proffered his thanks was 
the collector, whose inn was so full, that a 
man thrown inside of the door would scarcely 
have fallen upon the floor. All the inhab- 
itants of the neighborhood had assembled 
there to hear the adventure with the bear 
from eyewitnesses. Never had the collector 
sold so much wine as upon that day. Al- 
ready well satisfied with the numerous com- 
pany seated around his tables, he only needed 
the arrival of, the rag-seller to complete his 
delight. Fingerling could not have arrived 
at a better time. 

“ I was just about sending for you,” said 
the collector to Fingerling ; “ every one wishes 
to see you, and talk with you. What a pity 
that your little one is forced to keep her bed ! 
Come in, and drink a good glass of wine to 
strengthen you after yesterday’s' fright.” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


97 


But the glass of wine soon changed into a 
pint; IVIrs. Fingerling, and even Sybil, had 
their portions. The men made a terrible 
noise in the inn, so that Fingerling could 
scarcely answer the questions put to him. 

“ It was my son,” said the collector, whose 
voice rose loudly above that of his guests, 
“ who was the involuntary cause of it all. It 
was his fault that the little girl, whom you 
see here, let her sister fall from her arms into 
the bears’ den. My poor child, I assure you, 
was more dead than alive ; but he could not 
help it, for some one pushed him, and he fell 
against this little girl. However that all may 
be, I have promised to pay the doctor, and I 
wUl keep my word.” 

‘‘ And I,” said a rich peasant, whose face 
shone with a lively red, thanks to his numer- 
ous potations, “ I will give this much towards 
making a present to the little one who fell 
into the bears’ den.” So saying, he threw a 
half-florin on an empty plate which stood 
before him, then rose and said ; “Any one 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


who wishes to follow Hans Hillig of Rom- 
mel shain’s example, has the full and entire 
liberty so to do. Kling, kling, kling, for little 
Augustine Fingerling ! ” cried he, making the 
piece of money execute a lively dance upon 
the plate. 

The half-florin remained the only one of 
its kind upon the dish ; but it was soon fol- 
lowed by a number of smaller coins. The 
originator of the collection knew how to take 
advantage of his neighbors’ weak points. 

“ Come, friend Stop, lay down something. 
Did you not sell two tons of meal only day 
before yesterday? — Well! neighbor Grund- 
muller, will you not untie your purse-strings ? 
You have only to kill an additional calf, and 
you will soon have it all back again ! — Ho 
there! my dear Berndt, how much did you 
get for the skins you took to market last 
Monday ? Sacrifice only the worth of the 
tails ! ” 

The rag-seller and his wife shed tears of 
joy when the countryman placed’ before them 
the plate covered with silver. 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


99 


“ Now you can buy something for that 
little bear-charmer,” said he, gayly, as he re- 
turned to his place. 

Wine and good fortune do not render all 
men joyful. Fingerling belonged to this class. 
When he returned home with his pockets 
filled with silver, he was quite silent, and 
hung his head as if in sadness. 

“ I do not know how it is,” said he to his 
wife, “ but I cannot rejoice in our good for- 
tune ; it is too great, and too unexpected. 
Heaven grant that it be not followed by some 
sudden misfortune ! Such was the case yes- 
terday. I returned home gay and joyful to 
suffer such agony ! I am still quite uneasy 
concerning Augustine. Perhaps she may be 
very ill! After fair weather comes rain — ” 
“ You mean,” said Mrs. Fingerling, “ that 
after rain comes fair weather. Had we not 
trouble enough yesterday to permit us to 
enjoy ourselves a little to-day ? ” 

“ How is Augustine ? ” asked Fingerling of 
his nephew, as soon as they had entered the 


100 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

house. “ Has she been very good and very 
quiet ? And has the doctor been here ? ” 
Yes,” said Augustine, without giving 
Gottlob time to reply, “and he brought me 
some beautiful bonbons.” So saying, she 
showed with an air of triumph a paper full 
of sugar-plums. 

“ Our good Mr. Beyer has kept his word,” 
said Fingerling, gratefully. “ Decidedly, there 
are more good than bad people in the world. 
But tell me, Augustine, have you eaten many 
of your bonbons ? ” 

“ Not a single one yet,” replied the child. 

“ You have done well,” said her father ; 
“ but give me your paper, and I will let you 
have each day as much as will be good for 
you to eat.” 

Fingerling perceived that Sybil’s eyes were 
fastened upon the paper with a keen expres- 
sion of desire, so keen, indeed, that he could 
not avoid suspecting her of evil intentions. 
He reflected upon what he had better do in 
this case, and then divided the contents of the 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 101 


paper into two equal parts, of which he 
gave one to his daughter, and the other to 
Sybil. 

“ Augustine,” said he, “ must we not give 
some bonbons to Sybil, so that she may 
grow ? ” 

The expression of desire, which a short 
time before had shone so vividly in Sybil’s 
eyes, suddenly disappeared ; she received her 
share of the bonbons blushing, and with 
downcast eyes, but did not immediately be- 
gin to eat them, as might, have been sup- 
posed. 

‘‘ Papa, take some too,” said Augustine, 
“ and mamma, and Gottlob also.” 

No,” replied Fingerhng, smiling ; bon- 
bons are only meant for little girls who 
have broken their arms in bears’ dens, and 
who have been very good. We gave some 
to Sybil, so that she may grow; but she 
has had many other good things to-day ; she 
has had wine, and besides, her arms are 
both in a sound condition, and that is worth 


102 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

all the bonbons in the world. Is it not so, 
Sybil ? ” 

The child made an affirmative gesture, and 
disappeared from the room. 

Fingerling turned to his nephew. 

“ It was a happy accident which led you 
to visit us to-day ; if your village were not 
at least three leagues distant from here, I 
should really have thought you had heard 
an account of yesterday’s events. You must 
have started early, to have arrived before the 
morning sermon. We are very glad to see 
you.” 

“ You know the interest I feel in all that 
concerns you,” replied the young man ; ‘‘ but 
I did not come only to make you a visit. 
I wanted to ask you, dear Uncle, if you had 
always your dog Phylax, and if he still drew 
your cart.” 

“ Yes, certainly ; but why this question ? ” 

“ Hem ! If you had lost your Phylax, I 
would draw the cart in his stead; I think 
I have more strength than the good dog.” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 103 


“ You are crazy,” said the rag-seller, shak- 
ing his head. “ You have a good place with 
your master, and you had better keep it.” 

‘‘ A good place ? ” replied Gottlob ; “ I 

have To speak frankly. Uncle, I have 

received my dismissal.” 

“ O, you wrong-headed fellow ! ” cried the 
rag-seller angrily, “ and you tell me that as 
quietly as if you were saying, God bless 
you! Here is a boy whom I have brought 
up, whom I have fed until he is able to earn 
his own bread, and now he falls back upon 
my hands. Ah ! I felt it when the money 
rang in my pocket, and when the wine 
warmed my stomach. I said that some new 
misfortune menaced us ; and not only did 
it threaten us, but it had already happened. 
Ah ! you bad boy, what have you done that 
your master was obliged to send you away 
so soon ? ” 

Nothing wrong, dear Uncle,” replied Gott- 
lob, wiping away a tear. In order not to be 
obliged to pay the tax for me, my master told 


104 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

the bailiff that I was not in his service, but 
only with him temporarily. That vexed me 
to begin with. Then he yesterday required 
that I should go with him to the castle forest, 
and help him to steal wood ; I refused, and 
he turned me out of doors.” 

“ Ah ! that is another thing ! ” said the 
rag-seller. ‘‘ I was sure at first that you 
were wrong, my boy, and I willingly retract 
all I said. Give me your hand, my good 
Gottlob ! and now we are good friends 
again. You shall stay with me, and share 
my bread until I can find another place for 
you ; I see no reason yet for parting with 
my faithful Phylax. Farmer Hans Hillig of 
K/Ommelshain looks to me like a very fine 
man ; perhaps he might employ you in tak- 
ing care of his horses. But even if I can- 
not arrange that, I have another project ; — 
one might even think that Providence itself 
had arranged it all. My cart will not hold 
all the rags that I can buy during the week, 
and I have often thought of buying a hand- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 105 


cart, which would carry at least three times 
as much. But where could I get the money, 
and some one to draw it for me ? And now, 
on this very day, I have received money, and 
you your dismissal I It is really extraordi- 
nary ! Well, we will begin our trade in rags 
on a larger scale, and so all will be for the 
best. Thus does the misfortune which we 
most dread frequently turn to the profit of 
those who love and serve God. 

“ Bravo ! I am again in quite a good 
humor.” 

The family of the rag-seller were still at 
dinner, when Phylax suddenly began to bark 
at the door with great violence. 

“ What is the matter with the dog ? ” said 
Fingerling ; “ he rarely shows his teeth so 
fiercely. Go, Sybil, and see what it is.” 

At this moment the door opened, and 
Noack, the keeper of the bears, entered. 
Sybil was terrified ; she grew pale, and en- 
deavored to hide herself. 

“ You have a very bad dog there,” began 


106 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

the keeper in his hoarse voice. “ He was 
very desirous of giving me a bite. My bears 
have more manners than he has. It is most 
likely you do not give him enough to eat. 
If I were to follow your example, and were 
not to give sufficient food to the animals 
confided to my care, not much would now 
remain of your daughter. I get little enough 
money for keeping them ; but I prefer de- 
priving myself of something, that no one 
may say they want for proper nourishment. 

“ I came here to tell you that the castellan 
wishes to speak with you, and hear from your 
own lips the account of your child’s wonder- 
ful deliverance. My poor bear refuses to eat 
since the child was taken away from him. 
He behaves like one possessed. Come as 
soon as possible, for great people are not very 
fond of waiting.” 

“ My dog is usually very good-natured,” 
replied Fingerling, “ and I cannot think what 
induces him to act so towards you. He is 
only cross with rascals, and you are not one.” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 107 


Fingerling walched the keeper attentively; 
the latter changed color, but so slightly, that 
it required as attentive an observer as Finger- 
ling to have remarked it. He then continued : 
“ Will you be kind enough to present my 
respects to the castellan. I will obey his 
commands and go with you, and you will 
see that my dog is as gentle as a lamb.” 

But Phylax did not justify his master’s 
praises, when he left the house accompanied 
by Noack. He approached the rag-seller wag- 
ging his tail, but he tried at the same time to 
bite the keeper’s legs, which action cost him 
several unwonted blows from the rag-seller’s 
stick. 

“ Very well ! You will not have much 
longer to bite my legs,” grumbled Noack, 
when he was alone ; “ only come once into 
my neighborhood ! I know teeth longer and 
stronger than yours, and beasts which care 
as much for dog or cat flesh as they do for 
beef.” 

“ Return thanks to God,” said the Castel- 


108 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

Ian to Fingerling, when the latter had given 
him as detailed an account as possible of the 
events which had occurred on the preceding 
day, “ and thank him for having terminated 
all so fortunately. Mr. Bruin was within his 
own four walls, and had full liberty to do as 
he pleased. You could not have inflicted 
the least injury upon him, or our good King 
and Elector would have punished you severely. 
There are plenty of children in the country, 
but a Polish bear is not so easily found ; and, 
happily, none of- the Schellenberg people even 
thought ©f shooting him ; they would have 
paid dearly for it. But do you know, master 
rag-seller, that, the evening before. Heaven 
seemed to have sent us a warning ? There 
was such a noise, that I thought the whole 
rabbit-house was about to fall. What a 
terrible commotion in the middle of the 
night! It was about the hour for ghosts. 
A magnificent walnut-press, almost as high 
as the room, broke all to pieces, with every- 
thing that was upon or within it, including 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 109 


rare busts of celebrated personages, and a 
whole service of porcelain ; even your little 
girl was not worth so much as all those 
precious articles ! ” 

Fingerling would have been very willing 
to tell the castellan what he had learned from 
Sybil on the subject of the pretended ghost; 
he even thought it his duty to do so, for he 
who knows of a theft, and does not denounce 
it, is also guilty of breaking the command- 
ments. But he did not declare what he knew, 
because he had no sufficient proof. Of what 
value was the testimony of a child of eight 
years old, who might easily be deceived by 
the darkness, and who, terrified and trembling, 
might readily have mistaken the voice of any 
other person for that of the keeper of the 
bears ? Fingerling did not wish to throw 
suspicion on an innocent person, or thus 
excite the vengeance of the keeper towards 
Sybil and himself. He however felt himself 
called upon to warn the castellan, and put 
him oh his guard. 

10 


110 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTLSBURG. 

“ Sir,” said he, “ are you quite sure that 
the disturbance was not caused by robbers ? 
Was there nothing in the room which might 
be carried off without being missed ? ” 

“ What are you thinking of, my good fel- 
low ? ” replied the castellan with an air of 
disdain. 

“ I would not advise a robber to enter this 
castle in search of anything ; I keep my oats 
in that room, and no thief would risk his 
neck for so trifling an object.” 

“ Hem ! ” said the rag-seller, “ I would not 
trust them ; we sometimes find robbers where 
we do not look for them. Were I in your 
place, my lord, I would have my oats meas- 
ured from time to time.” 

“ That would be truly worth the trouble ! ” 
said the castellan ; “ the Elector furnishes the 
food for my horses ; and when it is all gone, 
I have only to buy more.” 

Fingerling had been expending his words 
in a desert air. He did not yet, however, 
feel his mind quite at ease, and, upon maturer 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. Ill 


reflection, resolved to communicate the case 
to his spiritual adviser, in order to relieve 
his soul from the fear of complicity. He 
did so ; and having received the pastor’s ap- 
probation, he felt quite tranquil under the 
assurance that he had done his duty. 


CHAPTER VII. 


ANGLING FOR BEARS. 

Fingerling soon found an opportunity of 
buying a good hand-cart at a reasonable price. 
Gottlob and Phylax drew it, while the rag- 
seller pushed with all his might. 

Mrs. Fingerling and Sybil were not idle, 
but sorted the rags which had been bought, 
according to their quality and fineness. The 
good woman had taken the trouble to put the 
linen spotted with blood, which her husband 
had bought in Oederan, in water, and even to 
wash it carefully, that it might possess more 
value in the eyes of the paper manufacturer. 
She was amply recompensed for her labor, for 
she found a very fine handkerchief in the bun- 
dle, which, although it had been cut, would 
still answer some useful purpose. In one of 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 113 


the corners, magnificently embroidered, was a 
count’s coronet, and a cipher surrounded by 
arabesques. Mrs. Fingerling mended it as 
nicely as she could, for it was quite large 
enough to make a chemisette for her little 
Augustine, whose arm was recovering as 
rapidly as possible. 

At the end of a week, when the rag-seller 
again returned home, he said : “I do not 
know what has happened to our dog; but 
since I forgot him, the day that our little 
Augustine met with her accident, he has lost 
his gayety. He draws the new cart with 
evident ill-humor. Perhaps he feels hurt at 
having a two-legged companion. Perhaps, 
too, he may have some"" pain in his limbs, as 
often happens to men. He had better remain 
at home a few days to recover.” 

A short vacation was then granted to Phy- 
lax, which he seemed to regard with great 
indifference. A few days later, he had entirely 
disappeared. No one knew what had become 
of him. Mrs. Fingerling was very much dis- 
10 * 


114 THE BEARS OP AUGUSTUSBURG. 

tressed, for she knew her husband was fond of 
the dog, and would be vexed at his disap- 
pearance. Besides, Phylax was a member of 
the family whom all loved, and whose loss 
therefore would occasion a general mourning. 
At first they hoped that he would return, but 
in vain. One might also readily observe, that 
the number of cats and dogs in Schellenberg 
diminished weekly, without any visible cause. 

One day Sybil came running to her father, 
with her whole face bathed in perspiration. 
“ Papa ! ” she cried, in a most excited man- 
ner, “ I know now who has taken our Phylax. 
The keeper of the bears ! I was sitting be- 
hind a juniper-tree gathering a bunch of 
violets, when I heard a dog making the 
strangest noise ; I looked to see what it was, 
and there was the bear-keeper, with a rope 
tied round the neck of the blacksmith’s doff. 
He pulled and pulled until the poor creature 
could no longer stir, and then said, < Another 
little saving, and a good meal for my beasts ! ’ 
Having put the dead dog into a bag, he dis- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 115 


appeared. He has done the same with all the 
cats and dogs that have been mourned over 
in Schellenberg. You may be quite sure of 
it, dear father!’’ 

“ But are you not mistaken ? .Was it cer- 
tainly the bear-keeper?” exclaimed Fingerling, 
astounded. “ After all, he who is in the habit 
of stealing oats, will not hesitate to appro- 
priate whatever falls within his reach. What 
a wicked man ! See how the discovery of 
one crime leads to that of another, until the 
measure of Divine patience is full, and then 
the criminal receives his just punishment.” 

“ Poor Phylax ! ” said Augustine, weeping, 
as did also several other members of the family. 

“ He must have had a presentiment of his 
fate,” said the mother ; “ and that was the 
reason why he was so sad, and refused to eat 
even the most dainty morsels.” 

“ And now the bears will eat him, or have 
already eaten him,” added Gottlob. 

Augustine shuddered. “ O me ! ” she cried, 
“ what great big teeth the bears had ! I only 
now begin to feel really afraid of them.” 


116 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

‘‘ But then remember how much better it 
IS that Phylax should have been devoured, 
than my dear little girl,” said Fingerling, ten- 
derly embracing Augustine, who was already 
upon her feet, although she still carried her 
arm in a sling. “ In truth, we no longer have 
any reason to complain that Gottlob has lost 
his place, and that Farmer Hillig does not 
need a boy to take care of his horses. We 
can draw the cart as well without the dog, 
and it will be one less expense in the house. 
God always knows how to turn even the 
greatest misfortunes to some good end. But, 
Sybil, do not tell any o/ie what you have 
seen, for we must have the proofs in our 
hands before we can bring the criminal to 
justice.” 

I detest no one so much as that same 
keeper,” said Mrs. Fingerling. 

“ Who knows in what nocturnal expedition 
he gained that hollow voice of his. Thieves 
can stand a whole night in the rain, the storm, 
or the cold ; but they will not take a single 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 117 


step to do a good action. However, a just 
chastisement is always in store for them ! ” 

Augustine’s arm recovered rapidly, and at 
the end of a few weeks the splints were taken 
off, and she merely continued to wear the 
sling as a matter of precaution. Sybil was 
closely watched by the rag-seller and his wife, 
and had not repeated her fault, so that she 
was again somewhat reinstated in their good 
opinion. The surgeon Beyer came occasion- 
ally to examine Augustine’s arm. The child 
had already been several times at church, for 
at that time people thought that children 
should thus go and pray to God, in his pe- 
culiar temple. 

One September day, when Fingerling had 
gone with his nephew to drive his little trade, 
Augustine was seated on the stone bench 
before the house door, and played with a rag 
doll which her mother had made for her. As 
for Sybil, she was in the wood gathering 
fagots. Several children, among whom were 
Augustus, the collector’s son, and Henry, the 


118 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

burgomaster’s eldest child, passed before Fin- 
gerling’s cottage; they carried bits of meat, 
and other eatables, tied to the end of long 
strings. 

“ Come with us, Augustine ! ” said the col- 
lector’s son. “We are going to pay a visit 
to your friend the bear ; have you anything 
to say to him?” 

Augustine shook her head. 

“ The bear has eaten up our poor Phylax,” 
said she. “ I can never forgive him for that.” 

“ But how can that be ? ” asked Henry. 

“ Noack stole him from us, and killed him,” 
said Augustine, with a mysterious air. “ But 
do not tell any one. Papa says there will 
soon be neither cat nor dog in the town.” 

“ What a rogue I ” cried Augustus. “ The 
little one speaks truly, and it is no longer 
astonishing that the keeper can drink wine 
all the week. He takes it from our house in 
a pitcher, instead of a bottle, so that every 
one may think it is only beer. He is a real 
rascal ! ” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 119 


The children went directly towards the 
bears’ den, at the end of which were several 
old beech-trees, whose branches overhung the 
wall, having been imprudently suffered to re- 
main untrimmed. These trees grew on the 
outside of the den, and the children climbed 
them. They desired to amuse themselves at 
the expense of their lordships, the bears, and 
had brought bits of meat, which they per- 
mitted to dangle down into the den, thus 
tempting Master Bruin’s appetite; no sooner 
did he attempt to seize them than they were 
hastily withdrawn. 

“Ah! there is a jump!” cried Augustus. 
“ Another now ! Courage, Master Bruin ! ” 

“ He had my bit of meat already in his 
mouth,” said Henry, “ and yet he was forced 
to let it go. Does that vex you, old fellow ? 
Ah ! how he growls, and what long rows of 
ugly teeth he shows!” 

“ Hop, Master Bruin, hop ! ” cried Charles 
Kung. “ A little higher, old fellow. Look 
at him ! he lies there like a great brown sack. 


120 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

Did you get a fall on your nose, poor hairy 
rascal? Try it again; here is a magnificent 
piece of beef! Ah! how he smells it! Is it 
good? Jump, then ! What! nothing again ? ” 

The strings and their enticing bait were in 
constant motion. Poor Bruin was like Tan- 
talus ; * the most delightful fruits hung within 
his reach, but were blown away by an envious 
wind, whenever he attempted to reach them. 

The bears’ leaps and somersets, their furi- 
ous grunts and growls, their loud and angry 
breathing, gave great pleasure to these little 
mischiefs. When the poor beasts were quite 
tired, and could make no more efforts, the 
pieces of meat were lowered until they hung 
before their very eyes, gleaming with desire, 
and even touched them, as if they had now 
indeed become stationary ; again would the 

*A mythological personage, who, as a punishment for 
divers crimes, was condemned to perpetual hunger and thirst. 
He stood in a lake, with the water up to his chin, but when- 
ever he attempted to drink, the water retired. And the same 
happened with the tempting fruits which overhung his head, 
whenever he stretched forth his hand to pluck them. 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 121 


creatures begin their efforts to attain the 
coveted prize, and again would they fall back, 
exhausted and out of breath. 

The children all watched until one of the 
animals had become quite tranquil. He was 
beset on all sides by their tempting offers ; 
but at his first movement, all were again 
flying through the air ; the game was re- 
newed, with the shouts, cries, and mockeries 
of the delighted children. 

“ Again ! Master Bruin ; come, up with 
you ! What a jump ! You understand it 
better than a mountebank. Come now ! once 
more ! Eh ! — ” 

All were suddenly silent. A stifled cry 
was heard through the foliage. All the chil- 
dren hid themselves among the leaves, or be- 
hind the trunks of the trees. 

The strings were motionless, and the meat 
fell from the trembling hands of the little 
band. Where joy had lately reigned so 
noisily, the most profound silence had suc- 
ceeded to the tumult; the crackling of the 


11 


122 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

branches alone broke the stillness, and be- 
trayed the presence of animated beings. 

They ate and drank, they were filled with 
joy and diverted themselves,” says the Bible, 
“when suddenly night came and surprised 
them.” 

Thus was it with these unfortunate chil- 
dren. Their joy was changed to sorrow, and 
their gayety into anguish. It has been said 
that a single step often leads from life to 
death. Here it was a leap. The bear, in a 
high state of irritation, threw himself with a 
desperate bound upon one of the lower limbs, 
and succeeded in maintaining his hold. Au- 
gustus, the collector’s son, was the nearest to 
the bear, and heard his deep, fierce growl 
more distinctly than the others. Although 
the boy was on a beech, he in no wise resem- 
bled a leaf of that tree, but rather an aspen- 
leaf, which, as you know, is always trembling 
and in motion. But this comparison is not 
quite just, for in place of being green, Augus- 
tus was at this moment the color of a cream- 


THE BEARS OP AUGUSTUSBURG. 123 


cheese. Should he await the bear’s approach, 
or endeavor to fly ? He was, fortunately, too 
much terrified to attempt the latter course, 
and he clung to the thick branch of the beech, 
as closely and tightly as the ivy winds itself 
around the limbs of this king of the forest. 

This state of anguish lasted during several 
seconds ; but the bear was once more merciful 
towards his pitiless persecutors. Instead of 
gratifying his vengeful feelings, and indulging 
his taste for children’s flesh, he forgot every- 
thing in his delight at having regained his 
liberty ; he climbed up the branches of the 
beech overhanging his prison, and then, letting 
himself fall upon the ground, he fled as fast 
as his legs could carry him. 

The children hidden in the tree finally re- 
covered their voices. 

“ Is he gone ? ” was asked on all sides in a 
stifled voice. 

“ Which way ? ” 

“ What shall we do ? ” 

“ Shall we stay here, or shall we run home?” 


124 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

“ If we should happen to fall into his clutch- 
es ! ” 

“ O how dreadful ! ” 

We shall be held responsible for his es- 
cape.” 

“ What will our parents say ? ” 

“ And the whole village ? ” 

“ If the bear were to meet some one, and 
eat him up.” 

“ I never could forgive myself, were I to 
live a thousand years ! ” 

“ I can tell you something about that,” said 
Augustus, who was the last to recover from 
his fright. “ I know what terror it causes 
one. What reproaches did I not receive when 
Augustine met with her aecident, and yet 
that was mueh less my fault than what has 
happened to-day.” 

The children ran home as fast as possible, 
and their cries of “ The bear has escaped ! 
The bear is loose ! ” oceasioned general con- 
sternation. The mothers rushed out of their 
houses, to insure the safety of their little 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 125 


ones playing in the streets. The men seized 
their arms, barricaded the entrances to their 
dwellings, and closed their lower shutters. Af- 
ter these previous preparations, the most cour- 
ageous, and those who possessed fire-arms, 
assembled to scour the neighborhood, and kill 
the animal, if they should find him. 

No one asked the Elector’s permission ; it 
was a case of legitimate self-defence, of the 
preservation of life ; and the pleasure and 
amusement of the Elector were not taken 
into consideration. 

It so chanced that the woman who watched 
the dead of the little town, and rendered them 
the last offices, had just left a house where 
she had been putting the last garment upon a 
man who, a few hours before, had laid aside 
the torments and cares of life. She was the 
first living creature whom the bear encoun- 
tered. 

In one moment the ferocious animal had 
thrown the woman upon the ground ; but she 
had either fainted through fear, or she had 
II 


126 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


sufficient presence of mind to counterfeit 
death, for the bear turned the inanimate body 
over with his paws several times, then snuffed 
it, and continued his way.* 

A troop of horned cattle returning from 
pasture, and belonging to a farm named 
Jaegerhof, attracted Master Bruin’s attention, 
and he leaped into the midst of the drove ; 
the most courageous among them at first 
showed their pointed weapons, and success- 
fully repulsed the attacks of the shaggy mon- 
ster; but a panic terror soon seized upon 
them, and they fled precipitately towards their 

*The popular belief that the bear will not touch a dead 
body seems to be a very ancient prejudice. According to the 
testimony of the naturalists quoted by Buflfon, we find that 
the bears, red or brown, which are found, not only in Savoy, 
but in the high mountains, the vast forests, and in nearly all 
the deserts of the earth, devour not only living animals, but 
even the most infected garbage of the slaughter-houses. We 
may add, that the bear shows less appetite for flesh than 
any other wild carnivorous animal. He prefers fruits and 
roots, and shows a wonderful passion for honey, which he is 
not afraid to seek among the trees, even in the very hives of 
the bees. 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 127 

pens. The herdsmen, seeing a beast in the 
herd which did not usually make a part of it, 
and which, besides, did not seem to be a 
domestic animal, fled, uttering cries of terror 
and dismay. 

Several armed men then approached, and 
began to fire upon the bear. He fled from 
the field, and took refuge in a garden, where a 
shower of balls soon terminated his life and 
his devastations. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

THE JOURNEY TO THE CAPITAL. 

Towards the end of the month of October, 
on the road which leads from Augustusburg 
to the city of Dresden, the capital of Saxony, 
was seen a heavy wagon, on which was a 
very large and solid cage, having in one of 
its sides a window about a foot square, fur- 
nished with stout iron bars. From time to 
time the shaggy head of an enormous animal 
appeared at the bars, and uttered an angry 
growl, or an impatient snort. 

Behind this wagon was another and a 
smaller one, drawn by human beings, and 
without any cover. This was Fingerling’s 
hand-cart, full of rag-bags, and drawn by 
Sybil and Gottlob, while Fingerling pushed 
behind 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 129 


“ I started from home,” said Fingerling, 
the first time they made a halt, “ with a much 
lighter heart than usual ; for in that wagon is 
the last bear of Augustusburg, which they 
are taking to Dresden.” 

“ I hope we shall never see him again, nor 
one of his kind,” said Gottlob. 

“ It must seem very strange to him,” re- 
plied Fingerling, “ when the great dogs are 
let loose upon him.” 

“ What do they do that for ? ” asked Gott- 
lob. “ They need only send a few good balls 
through his head, and Master Bruin would 
soon cease to live.” 

But that is not what they want,” an- 
swered the rag-seller ; “ they desire to amuse 
themselves as long as possible. The school- 
master told me all about that long ago. Great 
personages, like the Elector, the princes, the 
counts, etc., tire of their life of pleasure, as 
we do of our poverty. Then, to vary their 
enjoyments, they witness representations of 
poverty, misery, illness, or death, or even 


130 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

sometimes of the most horrible crimes, so 
that they must weep when they are only the 
spectators. They call that playing at com- 
edy, or tragedy. Bear-fights are also a kind 
of comedy, and the more a bear is torn by 
the dogs, and forced to make a desperate de- 
fence, the more agreeable is it to the by- 
standers. During the late king’s reign, they 
had even combats between lions, tigers, pan- 
thers, and other strange animals, which enjoy 
tearing each other to pieces. But I assure 
you that such flesh was only to be obtained 
at very high prices, for a single lion or tiger 
cost sometimes more than a whole flock of 
sheep, or a herd of cattle. The court, too, 
often represent passages in peasant life, when 
the king plays the part of a simple villager, 
and the princes and princesses those of herds- 
men and shepherdesses.” 

‘‘ Ah ! ” cried Sybil, clasping her hands in 
astonishment, “ do the princesses really milk 
cows, and make butter? Do they sleep in the 
cow-pens, and clean out the stable-yards?” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 131 


“No indeed!” replied Fingerling, laugh- 
ing, “they take good care to do nothing of 
the sort.” 

“ Does the king then wear a coarse shirt, 
like one of our peasants ? ” continued Gott- 
lob. “ Does he eat oatmeal bread, and pump- 
kin soup? Does he guide the plough, and 
use the flail in his own barn ? ” 

“ He does not even think of it,” replied 
Fingerling; “they only play a comedy; as 
the actors do not really weep, kill, or poison 
themselves, feel hunger, or die of want, so the 
court lords and ladies only pretend to be 
peasants, to amuse each other. But let us 
go on. By to-morrow evening we may be in 
Dresden. If it is true that the paper-manu- 
facturer in Dresden gives a florin more, for 
every hundred pounds of rags than ours does, 
our journey will be well paid for. At the 
same time, we shall have an opportunity of 
seeing the capital and the court. A native of 
Schellenberg, who was as poor and as humble 
as myself, has become a scullion at the palace, 


132 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURO. 

and such an employment may very well suf- 
fice to keep a man. I hope that we may see 
many fine things under his protection. He is 
not only a countryman, but a schoolmate of 
mine ; and he was always a well-disposed, 
good boy. Courage, children, here is a hill — 
Ho ! hey ! ugh ! ugh ! ” 

At that time there were as yet no mac- 
adamized roads in Saxony, but there were 
many deep bogs, and travelling was not very 
rapid. The two vehicles consequently ad- 
vanced at about the same pace. That which 
was drawn by the two children once even 
passed the horse cart, upon which the keeper 
was seated, in front of the cage. 

“ Ragman,” cried Noack to Fingerling, in a 
jeering tone of voice, “ you give yourself a 
great deal of trouble. Why have you not 
harnessed your ugly dog ? What has become 
of that charming beast ? ” 

“ You must know that better than I do,” 
replied Fingerling, wounded. “ He will be 
found, I suppose, with the other dogs and 
cats which have disappeared from ihe town.” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 133 


The keeper returned no answer, but he 
made a grimace expressive of content. At 
the same time, he ate by turns of a great 
piece of bread covered with butter, and a 
slice of cold pork, drinldng at intervals from 
a large earthen pitcher. 

“ Our collector’s wine,” said he, “ is by no 
means to bQ disdained, but I hope that Dres- 
den wine will be still better; is it not so, 
friend rag-seller?” 

“ Gluttony brings poverty,” replied the rag- 
seller, dryly. 

“ In truth, I have good living, and you, 
poverty by the cartful, as I see. Are you 
going to Dresden with your beggars’ clouts ? ” 

“ Rail on, you hardened sinner,” muttered 
Fingerling. “ Who knows if Divine justice 
will not soon overtake you? Courage, my 
children ; let us go as far as we can from that 
wicked man, who finds pleasure in insulting 
our poverty.” 

The rag-seller obtained from the paper- 
manufacturer in Dresden four crowns more 


12 


134 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

for his cargo of rags than he could have ob- 
tained at Schellenberg. Enchanted by this 
gain, which more than paid all the expenses 
of his journey, he resolved to procure a lit- 
tle pleasure for himself and his companions. 
After he had put up his cart at a cheap inn, 
and had dressed himself and his children in 
the Sunday clothes which they had brought 
with them, he went to look for that friend of 
his childhood who had been promoted to the 
office of scullion to the royal and electoral 
court. Preserving the openness of his moun- 
tain birth and character, the honest man did 
not blush at the appearance of his poor com- 
patriot. He received him very amicably, and 
promised to render his stay in the capital as 
agreeable as possible. 

Above all,” said Fingerling, — the simple- 
hearted countryman from the Erzgebirge, — 
“do we desire to see our dear Elector; but 
quite near, so that I can describe to my wife 
him whom all call the father of Saxony.” 

The court scullion looked quite serious. 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 135 


“ Our mighty Prince,” said he, hesitatingly, 
“ only shows himself to his court, and the 
great dignitaries; for he is usually over- 
whelmed by applications and petitions when- 
ever He makes his appearance among his 
people. That is not agreeable to our master, 
so that, when he is about to leave his palace, 
the streets are first cleared of all stragglers.” 

“ And yet they call him most gracious sov- 
ereign ! ” said Fingerling, astonished. “ God, 
in the Bible, is also called gracious ; but every 
man, even the poorest, can approach him, and 
implore his mercy, as often as he will, by day 
or by night.” 

“ Ah ! ” exclaimed the courtier, “ you can- 
not make a comparison between God and 
our most gracious sovereign. God is rich 
enough to give whenever he is asked, and so 
he can give always without being fatigued. 
Our good King and Elector sometimes gives 
too, and even gives much, but then only to a 
few persons. To make up for it, he demands 
much more from his subjects in taxes, because 


136 . THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

he needs a great deal of money. You who 
live in Schellenberg can form no idea of all 
this.” 

The courtier took the travellers into the 
cathedral, which had been built but a short 
time before, and which is now one of the 
most remarkable monuments in Dresden. 
Fingerling and his awe-stricken children lifted 
their feet like storks, when told that they 
were stepping upon precious marbles. They 
continued their way as if they were walldng 
upon eggs. What a lofty arch ! What an 
immense building ! They nearly twisted their 
necks in endeavoring to examine the ceiling. 
The church at Schellenberg might have been 
placed in the vast enclosure, I know not 
how many times. But when these simple 
peasants from the Erzgebirge heard the organ, 
and listened to the deep and impressive tones 
which rolled through the vast precincts as if 
God were indeed speaking to men, then was 
their wonder raised to the highest degree, 
and they gazed in respectful astonishment on 



They 


^ az e d 


in xe.vpectfuj astoidsKmenl. 













I 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 137 

those immense tubes, and the carvings, which 
had cost, as their countryman Heuts informed 
them, no less than a thousand crowns. They 
silently approached the high altar, made of 
marble, and adorned with three rows of silver 
candlesticks, bearing lighted wax tapers. 

“ Each one of those six largest candle- 
sticks,” said the court chandler, in a low 
voice, “ cost eight thousand crowns.” 

“ Eight thousand crowns I ” said Finger- 
ling to himself. “ Ten houses in Schellenberg 
would not cost so much.” 

“ And the picture,” continued the other, 
“cost eighty-four thousand crowns.” 

The rag-seller was petrified. “ How ? The 
image, which does not even pretend to be a 
likeness of him who during his life was sold 
for fifteen crowns, or thirty pieces of the coin 
of that time, — the image of our Saviour, Avho 
possessed not even a stone upon the earth 
whereon to lay his head, cost more than 
all Schellenberg, with its houses, its gardens, 
and its church ! ” 


12 


138 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

In his amazement, Fingerling no longer 
heard the magnificent music, which was soon 
after accompanied by a choir with voices like 
angels. His two children listened to it with 
wonder and delight. The court friend sud- 
denly tapped the rag-seller on the shoulder, 
and said to him in a low tone : “ Look, Fin- 
gerling, there, close by the high altar, sits our 
king,^ with his wife, the queen.” 

Fingerling hastily glanced in the direction 
indicated. Notwithstanding the height and 
the distance, he perceived in the royal pew a 
gentleman of about sixty years of age, with 
curled and powdered hair. A golden star 
shone upon his magnificent embroidered vest, 
above which he wore a surtout. He held a 
little book in his hand, in which he seemed 
to be reading very fervently. This was Au- 
gustus HI., King of Poland and Elector of 
Saxony. 

“ Look, my children,” said Fingerling to 
Gottlob and Sybil; “look up there and you 
will see the father of your country. Look at 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 139 


him well, for perhaps you will never again 
behold him during your whole lives — ” 

“ Silence ! ” said a Swiss, armed with a 
long halberd, addressing the rag-seller, who, 
quite stupefied, could only gaze upon the 
official in silent wonder. The man continued 
to mutter : “ No one must speak here, espe- 
cially when His Majesty is present. One 
word more, and I will close the doors on 
you.” 

Fingerling, as well as the children, cast an 
uneasy glance towards their protector. But 
he, probably recognizing in the Swiss a su- 
perior in rank, said nothing, and signed to 
them that they must obey his instructions. 

The three natives of Schellenberg had lost 
all desire to remain longer in the church. 
When they were again in the open air, Fin- 
gerling drew a long breath. 

“ And that was our sovereign ! ” said he. 
“ Did you look well at him, children ? ” 

“ Certainly,” replied Gottlob ; he is the 
very image of Amadeus the potter, except 


140 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

that Amadeus does not wear an embroidered 
vest, and powder in his hair.” 

“ But,” cried the rag-seller, quite angrily, 
“ how can you talk so foolishly ! If the man 
with the halberd had heard you say that!” 

“ O that is nothing ! ” said the court scul- 
lion to his friend. “ To-day,” he continued, 
“ the king was not in his grand attire. When 
that is the case, he wears at least the worth 
of a million in precious stones ; all the but- 
tons on his coat are then made of single dia- 
monds, worth eight thousand crowns apiece.” 

‘‘ Eight thousand crowns again ! ” sighed 
Fingerling. 

“ Each epaulette is at least worth an Au- 
gustusburg.” 

“What a weight! An epaulette like that 
must be very heavy to carry ! ” 

“ But the most precious thing of all is in 
the king’s hat. Let me see — what is it they 
call it? An agrafe, I believe. This agrafe is 
a clasp, composed of a single green diamond, 
about as large as a small pigeon’s egg, but 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 141 


which cost four hundred thousand crowns; 
yes indeed ! four tons of gold, not a farthing 
less. The king bought this diamond only a 
few years since ; and soon after, he had no 
money to pay for cannon to aid in the siege 
of Brunn. The citizens of that town were 
not at all sorry ; who knows if they ever dis- 
covered that they owed their lives and the 
preservation of their city to a stone ? ” 

“ A single stone, as large — or rather as 
small — as a pigeon’s egg, cost four tons of 
gold!” said Fingerling, shaking his head; 
“ that is not possible. What is there so ex- 
traordinary about it, that it should be so 
dear ? ” 

“ Its brightness, hardness, and rarity are 
the wonderful qualities which render it so 
precious. No other king nor emperor has a 
green diamond. That speaks for itself. And 
then you may put that diamond on an anvil, 
and strike it with the heaviest hammer ; you 
cannot break it, or even tarnish its lustre. 
Its brilliancy, and the glowing fire which 
shines through it — ” 


142 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

“ But when the king wears the diamond in 
his hat, he cannot see it shining; neither can 
he see his epaulettes, or his buttons ; what 
use then are all these costly articles to him ? 

“ Others see them,” replied the court scul- 
lion, “ admire them, and envy the royal pro- 
prietor. The king has no need to admire 
them himself.” 

“How many times a year does our king 
wear his precious jewels ? ” asked Fingerling, 
hastily. 

“ That depends upon circumstances,” re- 
plied the courtier ; “ whenever there are any 
very distinguished visitors, or when the States 
General are assembled, or upon other great 
occasions. He wears his grand robes at least 
once, sometimes two, three, or even four times 
a year.” 

“ If the stones are really worth a million,” 
said Fingerling, deeply absorbed in calcula- 
tion, “ the interest would be forty thousand 
crowns a year; and all that for the sake of 
wearing once, perhaps, such frivolous orna- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 143 


merits ! Ah ! if we, the poor citizens of 
Schellenberg, needed anything, and he were 
to let us have the forty thousand crowns in- 
terest ! Then would many diamonds, bright 
tears of joy, sparkle in his children’s eye.” 

“ You speak according to your own under- 
standing of the matter,” said the court scul- 
lion. “ A king must be dressed differently 
from a scullion or a rag-seller. Without that, 
what difference would there be between them? 
How would any one know the king ? ” 

“ How ? ” asked Fingerling. “ By the great- 
ness and extent of his clemency and good- 
ness ; by his care for his subjects.” 

Moderate your language a little, I be- 
seech you,” replied the scullion, “ or you 
will have us both shut up in the fortress of 
Koenigstein, or at least in the city prison. 
Be silent, and listen to what I am about to 
tell you. This evening, there is a grand rep- 
resentation at the court theatre; I will beg 
my friend, the court lamp-lighter, to be kind 
enough to get us places in the gallery, or 


144 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

somewhere else, so that you can see well. 
So, you must come to my house at five 
o’clock precisely.” 

The man left them, and Fingerling walked 
with Gottlob and Sybil upon the great bridge 
over the Elbe. That was really a master- 
piece, and our good friends from Schellenberg 
had never seen anything like it. The whole 
bridge, however, with its arches, its pillars, its 
magnificent iron balustrade, and its stone 
benches, had not cost as much as the little 
green stone, which weighed heavily upon the 
rag-seller’s heart. Fingerling’s eyes fell by 
chance upon Sybil, who, with her pretty face 
and neat dress, was by no means an object 
of shame to her adoptive father. 

“ I believe,” said he, in surprise, “ that you 
have put on Augustine’s embroidered chemi- 
sette.” 

The child blushed, and replied, somewhat 
embarrassed : “ Mamma put it up in my bun- 
dle, so that I might look nicely in the great 
city.” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 145 


Fingerling was silent, and thought his wife 
a little vain. 

They walked about during a long time, 
admiring the fine things which they saw upon 
their way, until, the hour for the beginning 
of the play having arrived, they returned to 
the dwelling of their good friend and com- 
patriot. 


THE PLAY. 


Night had already commenced to darken 
when Fingerling went to the theatre, ac- 
companied by his friend and his children. 
After exchanging a few words with the keeper 
of a little back door, the spectators, both great 
and small, entered. Darkness reigned in the 
interior, only feebly lighted by a few lamps, 
whose glimmering rays were not bright enough 
to enable them to distinguish the strange and 
novel objects filling the spacious hall in which 
they found themselves. Men went and came 
in silence, now disappearing behind a painted 
curtain, and now emerging from the shadow 
of some artificial tree or rock. They soon 
found the lamp-lighter of the court theatre. 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 147 


He placed the rag-seller behind one of the 
side scenes, and led the children, by a wooden 
staircase, to a small gallery, where he left 
them. When alone, they felt very much 
afraid. If he should forget them, and leave 
them to find their own way out of this laby- 
rinth ! However, the fear of being again 
silenced kept them quiet, and. they could 
only exchange their thoughts by means of 
looks and signs. 

The spectators soon arrived in great num- 
bers, and with them came the lights. Heaven 
and earth were in an equal state of commo- 
tion. The heavens descended, and the earth 
took the form of rooms, of landscapes, streets, 
gardens, rocks, trees, until finally the stage 
represented a magnificent hall. 

The children’s eyes were dazzled from time 
to time by the vivid light of the lamps, sus- 
pended from movable pillars, and usually 
presenting their shaded sides towards them. 
Behind the canvas walls walked various per- 
sonages, strangely dressed, who seemed to 


148 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

be reading from rolls of paper, and who 
sometimes talked aloud with one another. 
Above the children hung long streamers of 
various colors. In the corners of the immense 
space stood men, motionless as statues, who 
bore vessels of water, and portable pumps. 

A lively sound of music was soon after 
heard behind an immense curtain, and at 
the point where it touched the floor was 
placed a round box, open on one side. A 
man’s head suddenly appeared from within 
an opening in the floor; two shoulders, and 
a pair of human arms, soon followed. They 
belonged to a man who seated himself in 
the box, placed a large book before him, 
and began to turn over the leaves. Then 
the ringing of a little bell was heard, and 
the great curtain, moved by some invisible 
hands, rose with a slight rustling and creak- 
ing. The children could scarcely repress a 
cry of surprise, when they saw through the 
large opening a multitude of persons, all 
seated beside one another, with their faces 
turned towards the stage. 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 149 


The play finally began. Men wearing long 
gowns, with inamense beards, some armed with 
sabres, and others with swords, pikes, buck- 
lers, and poniards, defiled upon the stage. 
Women, young and old, and even little chil- 
dren, all strangely dressed, also entered. They 
harangued, disputed, and even fought. The 
children screamed, and the women cried. A 
king, whom they recognized by the crown 
upon his head, made his appearance ; he 
walked about, sang, and recommended tran- 
quillity to his subjects. A young girl then 
replied to him, also singing, and in a very 
lamentable tone ; finally all began to sing, 
or rather cry, at once, so that no one could 
distinguish anything that was said ; at least 
Gottlob and Sybil tried in vain to discover 
what it all was about. The man in the 
little box talked, and cried out too, although 
he by no means seemed to belong to the 
society of the personages so strangely dressed. 
Gottlob was quite surprised that one of the 
men in the long gowns did not give him a 


13 


150 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

box on the ear, to teach him to be quiet while 
the others were speaking; they came quite 
near enough to him to have done it, had 
they possessed the inclination. There were 
more than a hundred persons on the stage, of 
whom some were killed, others disappeared 
into a chasm which opened at their feet ; and 
one woman finally rose into the air, in a car 
drawn by swans, which Sybil took for geese, 
while Gottlob was sure they were turkeys. 

A young girl who had stabbed herself with 
a dagger, sung a long tirade before she fell 
and breathed her last. Sybil pitied her, and 
could not restrain her tears, which flowed hot 
and fast down her cheeks. But when the 
curtain was again lowered, all the dead came 
to life, and even the unfortunate young girl 
revived, and began to sing and dance. The 
other actors were hard at work studying their 
papers. 

There were also several disputes. One in- 
dividual, very badly dressed, a slave in the 
public market, gave a sound box on the ears 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 151 


to a general of high rank, accusing him of 
having replied at the wrong time, and of 
having tripped him, while in fact he had never 
lost his balance. After the play had recom- 
menced, the two men who had just been 
quarrelling, embraced each other most ten- 
derly, and swore an eternal friendship. 

The second act was much more extraor- 
dinary than the first. Sybil trembled for her 
father’s life, and even for her brother’s and 
her own. 

A troop of bears, lions, tigers, panthers, 
camels, and elephants came out of a thick 
forest, and rushed upon the stage. Fortu- 
nately, at that moment it was quite empty. 
At length a man appeared, but totally un- 
armed ; he had neither sword nor battle-axe. 
The ferocious animals flew upon him with 
the most terrible bowlings. But he drew a 
flute from his pocket, placed it near his lips, 
and all the beasts fled as if by miracle, al- 
though its tones were scarcely louder than 
those of the rag-seller’s pipe ; he even gave 


152 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

the last lion a blow on the head with his 
flute. The beast did not seem to be at all 
disturbed by this indignity, although he might 
have readily knocked the man down with a 
single blow of his powerful tail ; at least this 
fact is found recorded in the annals of Schel- 
lenberg. 

But the most fearful scene was reserved 
for the end. The stage represented an agi- 
tated sea, the waves rose to a considerable 
height, the rain fell fast, and the wind roared. 
Suddenly, a vessel appeared, which seemed 
about to sink at every moment. The light- 
ning flashed in the distance, and the thunder 
began to roll louder and louder. Sybil trem- 
bled, for she feared nothing as much as a 
storm. She would have shut her eyes, and 
closed her ears, if she had been able ; she 
looked round below, endeavoring to see her 
adoptive father, and gather strength from his 
presence. A woman then appeared upon the 
stage; she climbed up a steep rock which 
jutted out into the sea. When she perceived 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 153 


the ship, which was sailing rapidly away, she 
wrung her hands in despair ; the poor creature 
untied her scarf from her shoulders, and used 
it as a signal. The woman had certainly 
been forgotten by the people in the ship. 
When she saw that her cries and signs were 
unheeded, she began to sing to a musical 
accompaniment. All at once, there was a 
clap of thunder loud enough to shake the 
whole house to its very foundations ; it burst 
just above Sybil’s head, so that she heard it 
roll exactly like the rumbling of a heavy 
wagon. 

Sybil fell on her knees, cried out : “ O, the 
thunder has fallen on the house I ” and hid her 
face in her apron. 

“ Take care, child ! ” said a rough man’s 
voice directly behind her, “ take care that 
something heavier does not fall on your back ; 
that will certainly happen if you scream so 
loud. You will then be forced to leave this 
place, and we too. Why did you come, if 
you are afraid ? ” 


154 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

Sybil, terrified, raised her, head, not to see 
the man behind her, but to know what had 
become of the woman on the rock. But she 
had disappeared; having flung herself into 
the water, as Gottlob, who had seen it, after- 
wards assured his sister. 

A little bell tinkled, and the thunder and 
lightning ceased ; again was the bell heard, 
and the sea, the ship, the rock, and the forest 
all disappeared, leaving in their place the same 
large hall which they had first seen. Here 
were many persons talking, singing, drinking, 
and eating. They finally made way for the 
dancers, who came forward magnificently 
dressed. Sybil had often seen dancing, and 
had herself sometimes danced with her young 
companions. But she had never even imag- 
ined the possibility of such a dance as she 
then beheld. The dancers threw their limbs 
about in all directions, and flourished them 
exactly as a tambour major does his staff. 
They turned on one leg like a weathercock. 
While the tip of one foot touched the earth, 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 155 


the other was pointed to the skies. They 
used their arms as if they had been the sails 
of a windmill ; sometimes they leaped into 
the air, as if they had been moved by springs, 
then they fell back upon the ground; they 
stood by turns upon their head and their 
hands, making the most wonderful somersets ; 
they danced first upon their heels, and then 
upon their toes ; they leaped like wild horses, 
and flew round like crazy people, or as if 
they had been bitten by a tarantula; while 
the others looked on in silence, and the music 
accompanied them through all their gambols. 

But as sometimes happens in public balls, 
the affair had an unfortunate end. In the 
midst of the gayety, a car of fire appeared, 
on which was seated the woman who had 
thrown herself into the water. She made 
a marvellously agile series of courtesies to 
the assembled multitude, and then command- 
ed the spirits subject to her orders to set 
everything on fire ; then began a real scene 
from the lower regions : sparks flew from 


156 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

every corner, a rain of fire deluged all the 
persons assembled on the stage ; but still, 
notwithstanding their melancholy and even 
frightful situation, they could not refrain from 
singing. They sang ; while flying before the 
flames, they sang when a fiery pit opened 
and swallowed some of them down, and even 
when they were burned aliye, and fell dead 
before the great opening, they still sang. The 
trumpets, the horns, the cornets, the drum? 
and kettle-drums, made a terrible noise, whih 
the spectators clapped their hands to expresk 
their enthusiasm, until the fall of the curtain 
put an end to the representation. 

They then succeeded in extinguishing the 
conflagration, and a stifling smoke ascended 
as high as the gallery on which the chil- 
dren stood. The dead men rose gayly, shook 
each other by the hand, and finally departed 
in a most cheerful frame of mind. The spec- 
tators placed near Sybil also began to move, 
and went down the staircase. Gottlob and 
Sybil followed the crowd without knowing 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 157 

exactly where they were going. All finally 
dispersed, and the two children met their 
father, who had awaited them at the entrance 
of the theatre. 

O how afraid I was, father ! ” cried 
Sybil ; “ at first I thought we should all be 
destroyed by the thunder ; then I feared you 
would either be drowned by the water, or 
burned up by the fire. God be praised, we 
are at last all once more together ; I am sure 
I never want to see such a thing again in all 
my life ! 

“ I knew it was only a play,” said Gottlob ; 
‘‘ although I too was afraid for a moment.” 

“ I do not like this kind of farces,” observed 
Sybil. 

“ And yet they are very ancient, and cost 
several thousands every year,” said the rag- 
seller ; “ the lamp-lighter assured me so. The 
man and the woman who made such extrava- 
gant bounds, and who danced on the tips of 
their toes, received four hundred crowns for 
this evening alone ! ” 


14 


158 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

“ Four hundred crowns for a quarter of an 
hour spent in such gambols ! ” cried Gottlob, 
astonished. 

“ I push my cart over hill and dale during 
four whole years for that sum,” said Fin- 
gerling. 

“ And I,” reckoned Gottlob, “ should have 
been obliged to serve my master, the farmer, 
as a ploughboy, forty years, before I could 
have earned it.” 

“ And my paper-manufacturer must sell 
one hundred and twenty thousand sheets 
of paper at a penny apiece.” 

“ Dear father,” cried Gottlob, “ how many 
years must the plate be handed round in our 
church before we could collect one hundred 
and twenty thousand pennies ? ” 

“ You would become an old man while 
you were waiting,” replied Fingerling. 

“ Take care ! ” suddenly cried a loud voice. 

A brilliant light dazzled the bewildered 
eyes of our startled friends from Schellen- 
berg. A horseman with a lighted torch 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 159 


dashed past them at a full gallop. A mounted 
footman, glittering with gold lace, and also 
bearing a torch, followed him, and struck 
Sybil on her side, so that she fell to the 
ground, and Gottlob with her. A gilded 
carriage, drawn by six fiery horses, passed 
near Fingerling and the two children. The 
pavement trembled, and the honest country 
people knew not which way to turn. 

‘‘ It is not good to eat cherries with great 
lords,” said Fingerling, helping up the two 
children ; — “ not even behind the side scenes, 
or on the galleries.” He then led Gottlob and 
Sybil, who were quite sleepy, to their inn, 
and rejoined his countryman, who had in- 
vited him to drink a bottle of wine. 

“ Have you any desire, Fingerling,” said 
the court scullion, “ to see the king eat, or the 
table set ? Goldberg, the lackey, has j)rom- 
ised to find us a good place, whence we can 
see everything without being seen ourselves. 
Ah ! There we shall see a fine feast ! ” 

“ Thank you,” said Fingerling, I have seen 


160 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

enough at the theatre ; but does the king 
really eat again at this hour ? Can he sleep 
on a full stomach ? It must be at least ten 
o’clock ! ” 

“ They never sup at court before eleven,” 
replied the scullion ; “ then they play cards, 
and pass the time in various ways until 
three or four in the morning ; after that, 
their lordships retire to their rooms, where 
they remain until about ten o’clock.” 

“ But that is turning the world upside 
down,” said Fingerling ; “ making day of 
night, and night of day.” 

“ So it is,” replied the court scullion. “ Night 
does not seem to be agreeable to many of 
these exalted personages, and so they try to 
turn it into day. As for sleep, they get that 
by drinking good wines. But, friend,* I had 
almost forgotten that we were to drink a 
bottle of wine together. Let us empty it 
to the prosperity of our Schellenberg. Drink, 
my old friend, drink ! ” 

The two friends then began to drink and 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 161 


chat gayly. The wine was not of the best, 
but the rag-seller drank it with more pleas- 
ure than the most exquisite Cape wine 
could have afforded to the king. The juice 
of the grape rendered the two men very 
communicative. 

“ Your place must be very lucrative,” said 
the rag-seller, emptying his glass. 

“ Hem ! ” said the court scullion, “ my sal- 
ary is only two crowns and a half per month.” 
/ “ How ! ” cried Fingerling, astonished. “ Did 
I understand aright ? But I then make twice 
as much as you ! How can you live on it ? ” 

“ I do as the others who live at the court ; 
I steal.” 

“ How ? ” said Fingerling, “ you — ” 

“ I steal ! ” replied his countryman, whose 
head the wine was beginning to warm. “ The 
'wine we are drinking, the bread I eat, the 
butter I put into my soup, the meat and vege- 
tables served upon my table, and the wood I 
burn, are all stolen.” 

“ Stolen ! ” cried the honest mountaineer. 


14 


162 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

all at once aroused to the full possession o^ 
his senses, and pushing his chair back to a 
considerable distance from his companion. 

“We all steal,” continued the court scul- 
lion, who was now in a mood for talking, 
“from the prime minister and favorite, down 
to the lowest scullion, like myself. Of all 
that appears on the royal table, one quarter 
has already been stolen. Another quarter 
is eaten, and the two remaining ones are 
again pilfered. All kinds of provisions, wine, 
pastry, rare fruits, candles, oil from the lamps, 
the wood from the chimneys, butter, meat, 
poultry, eggs, milk, everything belonging to 
the kitchens, disappears within the pockets of 
the courtiers; even the ladies carry off the 
bonbons for their children, or for their own 
eating. 

“ The king believes that his army consists 
of thirty thousand men, but he has really only 
seventeen thousand ; the money necessary for 
the maintenance of the remaining thirteen 
thousand is appropriated by the minister; 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 163 


not indeed entirely for his own use, as the 
generals, colonels, and captains take several 
millions ; they do not perceive the deficit, and 
close their eyes to the immense gaps in their 
regiments. When the king bought the green 
diamond for so large a sum, the seller was 
probably forced to give at least forty thousand 
crowns to the minister, or he would not have 
counselled the king to purchase it. Every 
operation is thus conducted, even the buying 
of a pound of butter, for which the king 
always pays more than any one else.” 

“ And how are they paid when there is 
a good place vacant, or some favor to be 
granted ? ” 

“ The Jews had formerly no cemetery in 
Dresden, and were forced to transport their 
dead to Toeplitz, a distance of fifteen leagues ; 
but they gave the minister a thousand crowns, 
and soon had permission to bury their dead 
here. These sums are called douceurs when 
they are small, or received by persons of little 
consequence.” 


164 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

“ Douceur! and what is that? ” asked Fin- 
gerling. 

It is a kind of gift,” replied the court 
scullion, “ or a means of closing another per- 
son’s eyes or ears. The court jester, Froelich, 
calls it an excellent method for silencing con- 
science. It is a French word, because it 
would sound too badly in English. Among 
us, he who gives the largest douceur obtains 
the desired place, whether he possesses the 
necessary qualifications or not. But you do 
not drink, my friend ! ” 

“ I am no longer thirsty,” said the rag-sel- 
ler, sighing, “ since you have enlightened me. 
And besides, I must tell you that stolen wine, 
were it a thousand* times better, revolts me.” 

“ What simplicity ! ” said the other. ‘‘ An- 
other would certainly have stolen this bottle 
had not I done so.” 

“ Even if that be so,” replied Fingerling, 
“ the receiver is no better than the thief, and 
he who knows of a robbery, and does not de- 
nounce it, has also but a small share of hon- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 165 


esty. Why, I ask you, does no one inform 
the king of all you have just told me?” 

‘‘ Because he who would do so would lose 
his place immediately, and would be put in 
prison. The king would say. My Briihl * is 
an honest man ; my Briihl does not deceive 
me ; but you, you are a calumniator, who 
only wish to ruin him.” 

“ Then write it to the king, if no one has 
the courage to tell it to him.” 

Oh!” cried the court scullion, “the king 
receives no letter which has not been previ- 
ously read by his minister and besides, he 
would believe it as little written as spoken.” 

“ I would not like to sleep under the same 
roof with the minister,” said Fingerling, sigh- 
ing. 

“ And why not ? ” replied the court scul- 


* Henry, Count BrQhl, the minister of Augustus III., 
might be called the Saxon llichelieu. But, through his 
ambition and love of luxury, he caused the ruin of his 
country. He died at Dresden on the 28th of October, 1763, 
leaving a memory abhorred by all the people. 


166 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

lion ; “ his roof, his palace and garden, are 
the most beautiful in Dresden. Every one 
desires the honor of entering into his service, 
or of attending his festivals ; each one aspires 
to be the object of his favors. He has two 
hundred servants, and there are hundreds of 
clocks and precious watches in his apartments, 
with quantities of clothes of all kinds. He 
never wears a pair of shoes but once, so that 
he has always twelve hundred pair made in 
advance. The state gives him a thousand 
crowns every week, without counting the 
hundred thousand — ” 

“ Enough ! ” said Fingerling, hastily, to his 
countryman ; “ I pray you, say no more ! 
The minister might have all the treasures in 
the world, but there would still be two things 
wanting to him, — a good conscience and the 
grace of God.” 

“ He has the affection of his king, which is 
more precious in his eyes,” replied the court 
scullion ; “ and there are many here who agree 
with Briihl.” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 167 


Fingerling took his hat, and said : ‘‘ Fare- 
well, comrade, I thank you for your friendly 
reception; but I wish I had never come to 
Dresden. You have thrust a thorn in my 
side which I can never extract.’’ 

“ But you are not going home so soon,” 
said the friend. “ To-morrow, at twelve 
o’clock, there will be a bear-fight at the 
castle. You may there see how your ac- 
quaintance, the bear from Augustusburg, will 
defend himself against the boars and hunting 
dogs which will be let loose against him.” 

“ I am much obliged to you,” said Finger- 
ling, “but I have already seen and heard 
enough.” 

The honest man literally fled, exactly as 
the country rat in the fable did from his city 
friend. • 

“ How fortunate for you that you were not 
with me ! ” said the rag-seller, gazing upon 
the two children, whom he found fast asleep. 
“ It will be long before I can again sleep so 
soundly. Ah! Sodom and Gomorrah! do you 


168 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

not fear lest your last hour should come upon 
you as a thief in the night ? ” 

Fingerling sighed as he laid himself down 
to rest; but he could not close his eyes. 
‘‘ I would like to know if Briihl can sleep ? ” 
asked he of himself. 

The rag-seller gradually fell asleep, amid 
the most tormenting dreams. 


CHAPTER X. 


THE CHEMISETTE. 

The two children rose the next morning, 
happy and contented. Fingerling, on the con- 
trary, was very sad. He desired to return 
immediately to Schellenberg ; but his children 
begged him to remain a half-day longer, and 
he yielded to their request. He had no fancy 
for seeing the bear torn to pieces by the dogs 
and the boars, and he went with Gottlob, 
Sybil, and the scullion to the palace, that 
they might witness the departure of the king 
for his castle. 

Other persons, having the same desire, had 
taken their places not far from the grand stair- 
case. The fiery horses impatiently pawed 
the ground, and made the magnificent car- 
riage rock like a cradle. Before and behind 

15 


170 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

were a crowd of lackeys, footmen, and other 
servants, awaiting the signal for departure. 
The steps were finally filled with noblemen 
glittering with gold and silver. They pre- 
ceded the king, and were immediately fol- 
lowed by a personage whose coat was covered 
with decorations, and whom the rag-seller and 
his children took for the king himself ; but 
he was only the favorite, the prime minister, 
the celebrated Count Briihl, as they were in- 
formed by the scullion. When the minister 
beheld the crowd in waiting, his face dark- 
ened, and, at a motion from his hand, the 
guard hastily forced the people back to a con- 
siderable distance, whence the king, who just 
then made his appearance, could only be in- 
distinctly seen. The people retired murmur- 
ing, and Fingerling’s neighbor said quite 
loudly : “ Briihl has us forced back, lest any 
one of us should venture to speak the truth 
to the king. I should like to live long enough 
to see that fellow receive the punishment he 
so richly deserves ! ” 


THE BEARS OP AUGUSTUSBURG. 171 


This incident was not calculated to improve 
Fingerling’s ill-humor, and he resolved to 
hasten their departure as much as possible. 
He took leave of his countryman, and then 
advanced towards the court of the palace. 
But to his great astonishment, he was there 
arrested in his walk. Neither Fingerling nor 
his companion had observed, that, while they 
were employed in gazing with all their eyes, 
a woman passing by had stopped, and atten- 
tively examined Sybil’s chemisette. 

She had then spoken in a low voice to an 
official, who had given orders, to the sentinel 
placed at the Entrance to the palace, that he 
should not permit the rag-seller and his chil- 
dren to pass out. 

This was done, and no notice taken of the 
questions put by the astonished countryman. 
Soon after, an under officer arrived, with three 
soldiers, the woman, and a sjervant. They 
surrounded Fingerling and his children, and 
examined the chemisette. 

“ I recognize this scutcheon perfectly,” said 


172 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

the womarij “ and the embroidery too. My 
mistress carried this handkerchief when she 
was attacked by robbers and pillaged. How 
happy I should be if the guilty persons could 
be discovered and hanged! My poor mistress 
would be still living, if she had not then been 
so cruelly maltreated.” 

‘‘ I am a rag-seller,” replied Fingerling, 
with the tranquillity of a good conscience. 
“ I found this chemisette among some rags 
which I bought.” 

“We will see about thaf,” replied the under 
officer ; “ meanwhile we must lock you up in 
some safe place.” 

The three mountaineers soon after found 
themselves behind a solid lock, and stout iron 
bars, which suffered but a feeble light to 
penetrate into the dark and damp prison. 

Fingerling sighed, as he seated himself on 
a wooden bench attached to the wall, and 
said : “ They who desire riches soon fall into 
temptation ; they find many snares, and are 
led astray by foolish hopes. It was a desire 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 173 


of this kind which brought me to Dresden, 
in the hope of receiving one florin more per 
hundred-weight for my rags ; and a feeling 
of vanity also prompted my wife to put this 
chemisette in the child’s bundle. Do not 
weep, Gottlob,” he continued, addressing the 
boy ; “ although accused, we are not the less 
innocent of the theft imputed to us, and we 
can thence patiently await God’s decision 
with regard to our fate. Think of my poor 
little Augustine in the bears’ den. Think 
of the poor bear himself, perhaps at this very 
moment groaning under the bites from the 
sharp teeth of the dogs and boars. Think 
of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, who 
sang even in prison. I would not exchange 
my lot for that of the powerful Count Briihl, 
were he twice as rich as he is ! ” 

“ Give me your hand, Sybil ! What is the 
matter ? You are as cold as ice.” Fingerling 
looked at Sybil more attentively ; she was as 
pale as a corpse, her eyes were fixed and lus- 
treless, her lips were blue, and her whole 

15 * 


174 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

body trembled. “ What is the matter, my 
child? Courage! courage! If a crime should 
come to light through this event, we may 
yet thank God, a good conscience is the best 
pillow.” 

But Sybil’s conscience could find no rest, 
as we shall hereafter explain. 

When the evening had come, the rag-seller 
said : “We might now be at Grillenburg 
if we had set out at noon. It would be 
much more pleasant in the beautiful forest, 
and in our dear town of Schellenberg, than 
here.” 

At these words Sybil burst into tears, and 
when the jailer brought some black bread and 
some water, she refused to touch them. Al- 
though Fingerling did not feel very hungry, 
he tasted this frugal repast, as well as Gott- 
lob, who never was wanting in appetite. But 
that very evening, while Fingerling lay in his 
prison, the palace windows shone with the 
light of the wax candles, lively music was 
heard in the quiet street, where stood the 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 175 


people gazing in silence upon the lofty win- 
dows. Many noble and wealthy men and 
women had on this evening arrayed them- 
selves in purple, silk, and precious stuffs, 
adorned with golden embroideries, and fine 
stones. The king carried at least a million 
on his own person; each of his fingers, laden 
with rings, was worth ten thousand crowns, 
and yet he was most poor. He had not one 
sincere and faithful friend. He was surround- 
ed by courtiers and flatterers. And one of 
the poorest among his subjects lay, not pre- 
cisely before his door, but at a few steps from 
him, not exactly on the bare earth, but on the 
straw. His body was not diseased, but what 
is worse, he was sick at heart. The details 
of the depravity pervading the court had 
saddened the rag-seller, but had not entirely 
prevented his sleeping.* He slept until towards 
midnight. He then awoke, and felt that hot 
drops were falling upon his hand. The full 
moon glimmered through the prison bars, and 
their gloomy shadows fell upon the floor. 


176 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

whereon knelt Sybil, weeping and sobbing 
like a penitent Magdalen. 

“ Why do you not sleep ? ” he asked, 
gently. “ Am I not with you, as well as 
your brother, and a good and merciful God?” 

“ Pardon me, my father,” said Sybil, crushed 
beneath the consciousness of having done 
wrong. “ It is I who am the cause of your 
misfortune and ours. It was not my mother 
who put the chemisette in my bundle. I car- 
ried it away secretly. But I did not intend 
to steal it, I only meant to borrow it.” 

The startled rag-seller rose, and set up on 
his straw bed. “Unfortunate girl!” he ex- 
claimed, in a melancholy tone of voice, “ my 
words have been accomplished in a truly 
fatal manner. She who gives a single hair to 
the Devil is his for ever. Alas ! alas ! ” 

“ Pardon me this time, father, and I will 
never do so again,” cried Sybil. 

“ The Devil began by lying,” said Finger- 
ling, solemnly; “ did you not promise the last 
time that you would never steal again ? ” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 177 


“ But I have not stolen I ” said Sybil, weep- 
ing bitterly. 

“To take anything without the consent of 
the owner is to steal, and your own con- 
science tells you so ; or it would have occa- 
sioned you no trouble and remorse. See how 
quietly your brother sleeps ; happily for him, 
he is not groaning beneath the yoke of vice.” 

“ Pardon me, father, pardon me ! ” 

“ Of what use will my pardon be to you, if 
that of your God be wanting ? To him must 
your prayers be addressed.” 

Sybil said no more, but wept long in si- 
lence. Fingerling’s soul was painfully op- 
pressed. He thought upon the miseries which 
the theft of a comb, and the abstraction of a 
tattered chemisette, had brought upon the 
little thief. But the great robbers of whom 
his friend the scullion had spoken to him, 
were they not living amid abundance, honors, 
and pleasure, enjoying the respect and con- 
sideration of all around them ? 

The rag-seller forgot for a moment that 


178 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

other world, where each one will be judged 
according to his deserts. He forgot too that 
the rich man spoken of in the Scriptures lived 
in pleasure and abundance until the end, and 
only met his punishment at the last hour. 

The king himself had happily determined 
to discover and punish the brigands who had, 
two years before the present date, surprised 
the Countess of Stracoika, one of the queen’s 
ladies of honor, and had stolen her ear-rings, 
and even cut off two of her fingers, not being 
able to carry away the rings fast enough. 
The Countess died in consequence of the ill 
treatment she had received, and no trace could 
be found of the miscreants. Thence were the 
usually dilatory proceedings of human justice 
somewhat hastened, and the interrogation of 
the rag-seller and his companions began at 
once. The rags sold to the paper-manu- 
facturer were examined, but no other stolen 
articles were found among them. 

The most minute examinations were also 
made in the house of the rag-seller at Schel- 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 179 


lenberg, and his replies compared with those 
given by his wife. Fingerling and the two 
children, escorted by several soldiers, were 
transported in a wagon to Oederan, where 
the children were set at liberty, but not Finger- 
ling, whose task was to find the woman from 
whom he said he had purchased the rags on 
which were the blood-stains. She had dis- 
appeared, and all efforts to find her were in 
vain. The owner of the house in which she 
had lived declared that the woman, who said 
her name was Steverin, had led a very re- 
tired life, that she had remained only about 
three months in the city, and that she had 
then departed, without telling where she was 
going. 

Although the rag-seller had obtained the 
most satisfactory certificates of good conduct 
from the authorities in Schellenberg, he was 
still detained in custody. 

Not until after Christmas had passed was 
he finally permitted to rejoin his family. He 
looked both thinner and older as he stood 


180 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

among them. Great was their joy again to 
behold him, and he was almost smothered in 
their embraces ; Sybil especially, feeling the 
gravity of her faults, showed an unaccus- 
tomed tenderness. She clasped his knees, 
weeping, and hiding her face. Fingerling 
tenderly embraced his wife and children, his 
care-worn features assumed a livelier aspect, 
but only for a moment. For had he not been 
robbed of three months of life? tiad not 
his family been deprived of even the common 
necessaries of existence during that period ? 
Had he not been conducted, accompanied by 
guards, from the capital to Oederan, where 
even the children knew him, and all must 
look upon him as a thief? 

How proud he had been of his honorable 
name ? And who now would believe in the 
innocence of that Fingerling who had merely 
been released for want of proofs, and placed 
under the surveillance of the police ? Honor 
is soon lost, but difficult to recover. 

“ Father ! ” said Gottlob, who had taken 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 181 

Fingerling’s place during his absence, and 
who had made several journeys through the 
country with the old barrow, “ have you not 
brought back your cart? Where have you 
left it ? ” 

“ My cart ? ” replied Fingerling, sadly ; “the 
police seized it to cover the expenses.” 

“ And the money you received from the 
paper-manufacturer in Dresden?” continued 
Gottlob, anxiously. 

“ Gone too, to pay expenses,” said the rag- 
seller, in a mournful tone of voice, at the 
same time turning his empty pockets inside 
out. 

All threw a discouraged and pitying glance 
upon Sybil, whose eyes fell, and who began 
to weep bitterly. Alas! she had had many 
sad days during her uncle’s captivity; she had 
received many a reproach from her brother 
and her adoptive mother, and had endured 
numberless privations. While Augustine ate 
her bread with childish gayety, she sadly 
watered hers with bitter tears. 


16 


182 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

Their state of want and poverty by no 
means ceased after Fingerling’s return ; it 
rather increased with the additional mouth to 
feed, for a winter more severe than usual hin- 
dered the rag-seller from collecting his pecu- 
liar merchandise. All the roads were covered 
with a heavy snow, preventing the passage of 
his barrow, and he had no money to buy a 
sledge. He could only then, through the 
greatest efforts, carry small burdens upon his 
shoulders, and his gains did not suffice to buy 
even bread. All this was about a hundred 
years ago : there were then neither savings 
banks, nor so many societies of charitable 
ladies. 

The rag-seller’s family would have died of 
want had not some compassionate individ- 
uals come to their assistance : the burgomas- 
ter, the pastor, the collector, and the rich 
farmer at Rommelshain, with whom Gottlob 
had found a place, played the part of Provi- 
dence to Fingerling in his distress. 

About a month after the rag-seller had been 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 183 


liberated, the monotony of Schellenberg was 
suddenly interrupted by a most singular and 
unexpected event. It was rumored through- 
out the country that a search had been made 
through the lonely dwelling of the bear-keep- 
er, and that, among other suspicious objects, a 
woman had been found who was shut up for 
some unknown cause, and who was supposed 
to be the keeper’s mother. No one, either in 
the castle or the town, knew the woman, and 
she had probably been secreted by the keeper 
in consequence of some crime. 

No one could explain the cause of this 
descent of justice except the pastor, who, 
when he was called upon for his testimony 
with regard to the rag-seller’s moral character, 
and the uprightness of his preceding life, had 
communicated to the magistrate the confi- 
dence reposed in him by the rag-seller with 
regard to the robbery of the oats committed 
by the keeper. He had perhaps excited the 
suspicion of others, and thence had arisen 
the search which had been instituted. 


184 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

However, when he was questioned, Noack 
denied everything. He denied stealing the 
oats ; he denied having acquired the objects 
found in his possession in an illegal manner ; 
he also denied having maltreated his mother. 
With regard to her, he pretended that he had 
been forced to shut her up, as her mental con- 
dition was such as not to permit her to remain 
in contact with society at large. 

The rag-seller, as well as Sybil, were sev- 
eral times confronted with the keeper, and the 
latter steadfastly denied being in any way 
connected with the disappearance of the cats 
and dogs. 

When the keeper was examined, he was 
threatened with the rack to inspire him with 
a salutary fear, and a wound scarcely yet 
healed was found upon his left leg, which he 
said proceeded from a bite given him by one 
of his bears. It did not, however, seem deep 
enough to have been caused by either the 
teeth or the claws of so formidable an an- 
imal. 


CHAPTER XI. 

THE JUDGMENT OF GOD. 

The keeper’s denials retarded the progress 
of the criminal process, and the circumstance 
of his mother’s illness rendered every inter- 
rogatory impossible. However, after a few 
days, during which the old woman was well 
cared for, and nourished with food calculated 
to revive her failing strength, she was in a 
condition to speak with more clearness, al- 
though still in incoherent phrases. The in- 
quiry was again prosecuted. 

The old woman declared that her son, the 
keeper of the bears, on his last journey home 
from Dresden, had passed through Oederan, 
where she then lived, with one of his ani- 
mals, which had recently been employed in 
16 * 


186 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

a combat in the capital. He had proposed 
to her to accompany him to Augustusburg, 
where he could take better care of her, and 
more easily supply her wants. He had how- 
ever insisted as a condition, that she should 
join him outside the walls of the city, speak 
to him as if he were a stranger, and ask him 
for a seat in his wagon. The affair was thus 
managed: the strange driver did not recog- 
nize her, and at the nearest village preceding 
Augustusburg, she left the vehicle, and went 
on foot to her son’s lonely dwelling. 

The latter, however, had not kept his prom- 
ise. He became intoxicated nearly every day, 
reviled her, maltreated her, and even shut her 
up when she threatened to denounce him to 
justice. She had suffered from cold, and from 
the want of the most indispensable neces- 
saries, during her incarceration; but no one 
had heard her cries or complaints, and she 
was daily awaiting^ her last hour. 

The circumstances of the keeper’s mother 
having lived at Oederan, of her having left 


THE BEARS OP AUGUSTUSBURG. 187 


the place in so extraordinary a manner, and 
the fact of her having dwelt there under a 
feigned name, induced the judge to ask her 
if, during the preceding July, she had not 
sold to a rag-man a bundle of rags, among 
which were some bloody linen, and the half 
of an embroidered handkerchief. 

This unexpected question visibly embar- 
rassed the old woman ; however, she recov- 
ered sooner than might have been expected 
from her age and weakness. Her face as- 
sumed an expression of idiocy, and she re- 
plied, with a feigned silliness : “ Rags ? blood 
stains ? embroideries ? No ! no ! I once heard 
the rag-seller whistle, about twenty years ago. 
My son Noack had not then shut me up. 
Then the rag-man piped well, and I could 
hear him perfectly; but now I could hear 
him no longer, the cold has destroyed my 
hearing.” 

The judge gave orders to introduce the 
keeper of the bears ; he told him of his moth- 
er\s dej)Osition, and asked him why he had 


188 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

forbid her recognizing him as her son during 
the journey from Oederan to Augustusburg. 
Noack replied, that this fact existed solely in 
his mother’s imagination. 

The rag-seller was then sent for, and the 
judge said to him : “ My good man, you 
may perhaps have the pipe about you with 
which you are accustomed to announce your 
presence in the streets. This old woman 
does not think she can hear the sound of it. 
Try your skill a little.” 

While Fingerling was searching his pockets 
for his pipe, he threw a glance towards the 
old woman, who endeavored to shun his gaze. 
‘‘ It is she ! ” cried the rag-seller ; “ that is 
the woman who sold me the rags spotted 
with blood, and the embroidered handker- 
chief. I recognize her by the wart on the 
left side of her nose.” 

Astounded by this declaration, the woman 
fell senseless upon the floor ; her son, instead 
of aiding her, stood motionless ; but the 
muscles of his face contracted, his eyes 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 189 


rolled in their sockets, he ground his teeth, 
and clenched his fists. 

“Guard,” said the judge quietly, “throw 
some water on this woman’s head, and rub 
her temples.” 

When the guard approached the old woman 
with the pitcher of water, the keeper uttered 
a hollow groan, or rather a deep growl ; then, 
as if some one were clasping his throat, and 
he longed for air to breathe more freely, he 
threw his coat and vest open with a desperate 
movement, tore off his cravat, and cried, in 
a strange and hissing tone of voice : “ Take 
away the water! Take away the water!” 
His face grew pale as death, and he trembled 
in every limb. 

“ You may pretend as much as you please,” 
said the judge, “ you cannot deceive me. 
Guard,” he continued, “ perhaps, if you were 
to empty your pitcher over his head, you 
might cure him of his malady.” 

The guard drew back in terror, when, while 
approaching Noack, the latter endeavored to 
bite his hand as if he had been a dog. 


190 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

The miserable creature was seized with a 
second attack of hydrophobia, more violent 
than the first. A white foam, which nearly 
stifled him, gathered about his lips ; and he 
uttered frightful sounds, like the hoarse bark- 
ing of a dog, or the howling of a wolf. 
Every one drew back in terror and dismay. 
Noack, finding no one in his vicinity on whom 
to vent his rage, bit several times through 
the heavy trimming on his coat-sleeves, after 
which he became somewhat more tranquil, 
and extreme weakness was expressed in the 
quivering lines about his face ; he soon seemed 
to lose all command of his limbs, and the 
strong man tottered, unable to stand erect. 

Such a condition could not be feigned, as 
soon became apparent to the judge, and all 
the by-standers. After a long silence, during 
which astonished glances alone expressed the 
feeling pervading the assembly, the judge 
spoke in a voice filled with awe, and even 
pity : “ You may go now, if you feel strong 
enough.” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 191 


He then gave instructions in a low voice to 
the provost and the police officer. Both took 
their staves, which were much longer then than 
those now 'in use. Some preceded the prison- 
er, others followed him, and all kept at a dis- 
tance, lest they might be exposed to his bites. 

After the keeper had departed, the judge 
said solemnly to the old woman and the by- 
standers : “ The Supreme Judge seems to 
have himself conducted this affair, and to be 
about to punish the guilty one ; I then, in all 
humility, retire for a season. As for you,’’ he 
continued, speaking in a severe manner to 
Noack’s mother, “ I will talk to you frankly, 
and without circumlocution. You have al- 
ready one foot in the grave ; your son, a crim- 
inal, is even nearer his last end than yourself. 
Confess then while you still live, that you 
may have some hope of escaping at least from 
Divine justice. You see through your son, 
that God knows how to find him. who dis- 
regards his laws. Denials are of no use, for 
God lays open at his own time, and in his 


192 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

o,vn way, the deepest and most hidden se- 
crets.” 

The old woman was confounded, and ac- 
knowledged that it was truly she who had 
sold the blood-stained rags. She confessed 
that she had received them from her son, and 
that she was cognizant of the greater part of 
his robberies. One of his accomplices lived at 
the castle, and was the castellan’s coachman. 

The judge immediately sent persons to 
seize the person of the accomplice ; but they 
returned with the news that the coachman, 
having had some fears with regard to the 
termination of this examination, had departed 
before their arrival, carrying off with him his 
master’s horses. 

The judge gave orders that the fugitive 
should be pursued, and then sent for the 
physician. He ordered all the articles which 
Noack had touched to be taken away or well 
cleaned, and recommended prudence to all 
the by-standers. 

Noack had been taken back to his prison. 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 193 


and continued very quiet. Seated in one 
corner, he gazed mournfully but quietly about 
him, while a kind of iron cage, resembling 
that of his bears, was placed around him, 
and he was thus rendered harmless to all 
who were obliged to remain in the prison. 

When, later, the judge, accompanied by the 
physician and several other persons, entered 
the cell, Noack gave no signs of attention 
until he had been called several times. He 
trembled, and began to weep piteously. This 
sudden change in a man apparently so hard- 
ened was extraordinary, and could only be 
explained through his condition. 

Noack ! ” cried the physician in a loud 
voice to the prisoner, who was listening with- 
out apparently heeding, “ tell me, does your 
wound proceed from the bite of a dog ? ” 

The keeper looked at the physician with 
a stupefied air, and replied : “ Yes, sir, from 
a dog.” 

“ Did you know the dog, and is he still 
living ? ” continued the doctor, 

17 


194 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

“ He is dead ; pardon me, but I killed him 
because he bit me. I could not otherwise 
defend myself; he was a wicked beast; ask 
his master, the rag-man. He was as black 
and as bad as the Devil.” 

“ How long ago is it ? ” asked the physician. 

“ Very long. My head turns ; I feel very 
ill. It was then very warm.” 

What did you do with the body of the 
dog?” 

“ I threw it to my bears, but they would 
not touch it; I then buried it.” 

“ Why did you not show your wound to 
a physician ? ” again asked the doctor. 

I did not think it of sufficient impor- 
tance,” replied Noack, “ and it soon healed. 
It is only since the thaw that it has reopened 
and hurts me ; ah ! how it burns ! ” 

“ Noack ! ” said the judge, you have be- 
gun well; and now confess the truth with 
regard to the other charges ; acknowledge the 
share you had in the robbery of the Polish 
Countess.” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 195 


The keeper continued to shed tears, and 
said : “ On this point I am innocent as a 
child, I never saw the lady in all my life ” 

“ This miserable man still continues his de- 
nials, even on the brink of the tomb,” said the 
judge indignantly to the by-standers. “ Your 
falsehoods can no longer benefit you,” he con- 
tinued, addressing himself to Noack ; “ the 
castellan’s coachman has confessed every- 
thing.” 

The coachman ! ” cried the prisoner terri- 
fied ; “ yes, indeed, he is truly a dangerous per- 
son, much more so than 1. He often tried to 
persuade me to steal the rich vessels from the 
chapel, and he even once endeavored to force 
the lock, as he himself confessed to- me ; but 

I always resisted. As ” 

Noack could not finish, for the physician 
suddenly produced a glass of water which he 
had kept concealed, and put it to the keep- 
er’s lips. At this sight, the paroxysms re- 
commenced with redoubled force. The bars 
of the cage were happily solid enough to 


\ 

196 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

prevent the rabid man from falling upon the 
by-standers, who kept at a considerable dis- 
tance. Even the physician could not help 
partaking in the horror which seized upon 
the spectators. 

“ It is only too apparent,” said he, when 
Noack fell back exhausted upon the straw, 
“ that this wretched man is stricken with 
hydrophobia ; every attempt at cure would 
be useless, and we must only be careful, 
and keep the prisoner from all contact with 
his kind, for fear of some mishap.” 

The necessary measures were taken. Two 
sentinels, who were charged to fire upon the 
rabid man should he succeed in escaping from 
his cell, were placed at the door. The un- 
fortunate wretch continued in this way during 
three days, tortured by the most fearful ago- 
nies, now filling the air with his cries of de- 
spair, and now shaking his prison bars with 
all the fury of a madman. He then con- 
fessed the robbery of the Polish Countess, 
and several other crimes he had committed. 





N^oack sliooltliii: prison Lars >vitti all tire fury of a 

xaadiuaa. 





I 



' \r . 




T 


V: 



f 4 


rJf ' ,r/'> 

' v»S ' _J -,V 



’(• • 

I’ 


V* I ■ 

-J'l ■■ 

•4 ' , r • 

•1 -- 






. * » 




» *1 

. »* 


‘t' 


t/ ; 


$ 


-* /* 




' ♦ 








f 


I 


* 


V 




THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 197 


The pastor offered him the last aids of relig- 
ion, and prayed with him during his lucid 
moments. 

When he was dead, his body was seized 
by huge iron pincers, and placed in the grave 
which had been dug for it. The prison was 
well cleaned, and washed with lime. 

The mother soon followed her son, even 
before she could be transferred to the house 
of detention. 

Noack’s accomplice was finally arrested, 
and expiated his crimes on the scaffold, ac- 
cording to the laws of his country. 


17 


CHAPTER XII. 

THE SERMON. 

The remembrance of the judgment of God, 
which had been manifested in so extraordi- 
nary a manner upon the keeper and his 
mother, long remained most vividly in the 
minds of the good people of Schellenberg. 
Fingerling’s innocence had been triumphant- 
ly established, and he continued an object of 
universal commiseration on account of the 
unjust imprisonment to which he had been 
subjected. 

“ My dear Fingerling,’^ said the Burgo- 
master one day friendlily to the rag-seller, 
“ how is it with you ? Have you recovered 
your old cheerfulness ? I think not.” 

“Why?” 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 199 


“ That is what I ask of you. Has not God 
visibly protected you ? Suppose your mad 
dog had bitten you, or one of your family ! 
Was it not fortunate that the keeper stole 
him just when he had become dangerous? 
It is true you have passed several months 
in prison. But you would not have fared 
much better at home. And then remember 
that the judge has demanded an indemnity 
for you. That will be more than a crown 
for every day passed in prison. That will 
amount to a pretty sum, with which you 
can buy a new cart, another Phylax, and 
many other useful things. Is not your honor 
restored, and your reputation more solid than 
ever? Why then do you always look so 
sad ? ” 

Most assuredly,’’ replied Fingerling, “ I 
have thanked the Lord for his protection 
and mercies, and I will continue to thank 
him during my whole life. You ask me 
why I am no longer so gay as I used to 
bo ? Hem ! I think I may trust you with 


200 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

the reason : I wish I had never taken my 
rags to Dresden, for what I saw and heard 
there has left a very bad impression on my 
mind, and placed a thorn in my side which 
I cannot draw out. You see. Burgomaster, 
if only the half of what the court Bullion 
told me is true, that city is worse than Sodom 
and Gomorrah ; and if God would show 
his justice as he did upon the bear-keeper, 
hundreds of persons must go mad. Every 
time I think of this, I feel sad, and strive 
in vain to recover my gayety.” 

“ Go to the pastor,” counselled the Bur- 
gomaster, “ and he will find some cure for 
your mind and heart.” 

As Noack, the keeper, had said, the thaw 
had come. The south wind melted the deep 
snow, and the earth eagerly absorbed the 
moisture. What all the inhabitants of the 
Erzgebirge could not have done in many 
months, perhaps years, was accomplished in 
a few days by the all-powerful breath of a 
mighty God. The earth lost its winter gar- 


THE BEARS OP AUGUSTUSBURG. 201 


ment, and men’s hearts beat more lightly and 
joyously as the spring approached. Have you 
ever, my dear reader, experienced the feeling 
of delight which fills the heart at the close 
of a long winter ? While the fine days in 
autumn sadden us by their lessons of the 
rapid flight of time, spring inspires us with 
joy and hope. 

It was Sunday. The sun shed his benefi- 
cent rays through the clear, blue sky, and the 
birds sang gayly in the groves surrounding 
the little town. The bells sounded even more 
pleasantly than in winter, and did not sum- 
mon the faithful in vain. Only those who 
were inevitably prevented from leaving their 
homes, were absent from the house of God. 
Fingerling, accompanied by Sybil, was among 
the rest. His wife remained at home with 
Augustine, that she might nurse the young 
infant of a sick neighbor. Fingerling’s heart 
was on that day more accessible than usual 
to the word of God, as explained by the 
eloquent pastor. The sermon was upon the 


202 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

parable of the tares growing amid the wheat. 
He showed his hearers, that in the days of our 
Lord Jesus Christ there were many wicked 
men, tares, among the good, the wheat ; and 
that the first had not immediately felt the 
justice and chastisements of God. We must 
acknowledge, he said, that in our time the 
number of the wicked has not decreased ; but 
.et them not deceive themselves, for when the 
reaper shall come. Death, with his pitiless 
scythe, the tares shall be bound into bundles, 
and thrown into eternal fire, and the wheat 
gathered into the barns, heaven, with all its 
delights. All the woes of our mundane ex- 
istence cannot be compared with the glories 
of heaven ; sometimes Divine Justice is dis- 
played in a wonderful manner even upon this 
earth, as has been seen in the miserable end 
of the keeper of the bears; but God more 
frequently punishes or rewards men only after 
their death, as Christ has shown in the parable 
of the rich man and the poor Lazarus. The 
parable says, that what a man sows, that he 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 203 


shall reap. Who sows with the flesh, shall 
reap with the flesh ; but who sows in the 
spirit, shall reap life eternal; and this is 
always true. 

^ No one among all the auditors was more 
moved and consoled than Fingerling. He 
could not refrain from communicating his 
joy to one of his neighbors. 

“ It is exactly,” said he, “ as if the pastor 
had heard the conversation I recently held 
with the burgomaster ; for his whole sermon 
was filled with allusions to the points we 
discussed. He has consoled me much. All 
my painful impressions, all the thorns rank- 
ing in my heart, have disappeared. Ah ! 
I wish I were that poor Lazarus, so that 
angels might one day bear me to Abraham’s 
bosom ! ” 

This wish was to be granted upon that 
very day. 

The Collector Groessel, and his wife, had 
not gone to church. They expected more 
company than usual at their inn, and had 


204 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

remained at home to make the necessary prep- 
arations. Augustus, following his parents’ 
example, had also absented himself from the 
morning service. He arranged the chairs in 
the sitting-room, wiped the tables, and placed 
fresh sawdust in the spit-boxes. His mother 
prepared a considerable number of bottles of 
wine, and counted her provision of rolls, 
sausages, smoked meat, and pork, designed 
to satisfy the keen appetite of the drinkers. 
As for the collector, he was busy in recon- 
ciling two enemies, in uniting two antipodes ; 
in other words, he was mixing sour and Sweet 
wine together in the same bottle, when he 
was suddenly interrupted in his occupation 
by a piercing cry from his son. 

Impelled by the same feeling, both father 
and mother left the hall, and ran to the front 
room, where they found their son screaming 
at the top of his lungs, and pointing to the 
window, before which they indeed perceived 
an object which justified Augustus’s terror, 
and occasioned the parents no less anxiety. 


THE BEARS OF AUGBl TUSBURG. 205 


A great brown bear stood in the street, 
erect upon his hind legs, and playing with 
the sign we have already described. He 
seemed to find much pleasure in turning the 
garland with the bottle and glass round and 
round, and executed all sorts of gymnastics, 
with the agility of a monkey. 

“ God help us ! ” cried the collector’s wife, 
wringing her hands in terror ; she then ran 
into an adjoining chamber, where the maid 
was busied in dressing the two youngest 
children. She carried them with her into the 
upper story of the house, and told her son 
and husband to follow her after they had 
carefully fastened the door. 

But the courageous man did not obey. 
The citizen was formerly, and with good 
reason, the natural defender of the house in 
which he dwelt. To keep themselves in 
practice, the townspeople organized com- 
panies of target-shooters, and the collector, 
a zealous partisan of this species of exercise, 
possessed a good gun, with a stock of pow- 
18 


206 THE BEARS OF AUG USTUSBURG. 

der and balls. If he followed his wife at 
that moment into the upper story, it was to 
look for his weapon. He put in a good 
charge of powder, to which he added two 
balls, and then said to his wife : “ There can 
never be a better chance to shoot a bear. He 
is only ten feet from the house. These two 
balls once fairly lodged in his breast, he would 
soon breathe his last.” 

He raised his loaded gun, but his wife 
caught him by the arm. “ For God’s sake,” 
she cried, “ do not fire. You might miss, the 
bear might move. If you only succeeded in 
wounding him, you would be lost, with your 
wife, your children, and all of us. Have you 
forgotten how many balls it took to kill the 
bear last year ? Remember, that when a 
wounded bear falls upon his aggressors, 
nothing can save the victim, if no cne be 
at hand to destroy the animal!” 

His wife’s prayers would not have Eulficed 
to prevent the execution of his project, had 
he not heard his children, who were looking 



•V 

4 

1 



DoiT-otfiT^e ! cried tl^e C ollectorV wife. 





THE BEARS OP AUGUSTUSBURG. 207 


from one of the upper windows, crying out : 
“ The people are coming out of church ! ” 

The collector and his wife gazed out of 
the window, undecided what to do. The 
children and the maid set up a loud cry to 
warn the approaching crowd. They, per* 
ceiving the bear, fell back, and uttered such 
piercing cries that the bear was startled, and 
quitting his plaything, the sign, he turned, 
and, standing on his hind paws, fixed his 
great eyes in wonder on the multitude. 

“Do not shoot!” again began the collec- 
tor’s wife. “ You see that the bear is afraid. 
His companion did no harm last year to Au- 
gustine. This one may do the same. If the 
people will only remain together, they may 
keep the bear in awe.” 

“ I can see distinctly that his mouth is red 
with blood, “ replied the husband, “ and there 
are blood-stains upon his shaggy coat.” 

The woman was about to reply ; but she 
uttered a sudden cry of horror. She hid 
her face, and turned away from the window. 


208 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

The collector grew pale, and, striking the but 
of his gun upon the floor, said, angrily : “ If 
I had not listened to the woman, if I had 
only fired — ” 

Fingerling and his adopted daughter were 
also among the crowd, and he felt more anx- 
iety than the others for the safety of his dear 
ones. 

“ My house is the nearest to the bears’ 
den,” cried he, “ and it was my child who 
fell last year into the bear-trap. What may 
not have happened at home ? I can stay no 
longer ; Sybil, stay here with the others. As 
for me, I will run home.” 

“ Stay, father, stay ! ” said Sybil. 

“ Stay, Fingerling ! ” cried several voices. 

But the rag-seller was already at a con- 
siderable distance from the crowd. As he 
started, he said : “ Let us see if the bear 
can catch me ! ” 

He ran towards his house. The bear fol- 
lowed him. “ Man should not tempt the 
gods,” said the ancients. 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 209 


Fingerling was known to be one of the 
best runners in the neighborhood, and he at 
first justified his reputation. He left the 
bear far behind him. But it sometimes hap- 
pens that, in running, a sharp pain seizes 
upon the foot, and for a moment paralyzes 
it. Thus did it happen with the rag-seller. 
All at once he made a misstep, and lost the 
use of his feet. In one moment the bear 
was upon him ; the creature threw him upon 
the pavement, and buried his long teeth and 
sharp claws in the back, the neck, and the 
head of the unfortunate man. The crowd 
was stupefied with terror, their hair stood on 
end, and their eyes were filled with tears. 
No one moved to succor the rag-seller, whose 
cries filled the air. The cries were soon 
changed into groans, and the terrified crowd 
dispersed on all sides, abandoning the poor 
man to a bloody death. 

FingeYling saved his companions’ lives, who 
during his tortures had time to place them- 
selves out of the reach of danger. 

18 * 


210 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

Fingerling ceased to move ; his lips uttered 
no sound ; the bear left him, and ran through 
the deserted streets seeking fresh prey. But 
the doors were again soon opened, and men 
armed with guns, sabres, pikes, pitchforks, 
flails, and clubs, issued forth. The little band 
momentarily increased. The blacksmith, a 
man of colossal proportions, accompanied by 
his workmen, joined them. He carried^ a 
great iron bar, and the others, large hammers. 

“ Let us avenge the poor rag-seller,” cried 
the Cyclop, in his powerful voice. “ Let us 
kill this ferocious animal. Down with the 
royal plaything, which destroys our fellow- 
citizens, our wives, and our children I Down 
with the bears of Augustusburg ! — Poland 
was always a curse to Saxony. She swal- 
lows up all bur Saxon money, and only gives 
us in return some good-for-nothing beasts. 
Forward, my friends!” 

The bear was soon crippled under a shower 
of blows, and no longer in a condition to 
hurt any one. They afterwards found that 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 211 


the beast had succeeded in leaving his den 
by means of a snow-drift, which the frost 
had rendered solid ; he had gone towards 
the town, where he had entered Fingerling’s 
house through an open window. Augustine 
was seated by the cradle, in which the infant 
was sleeping, and Mrs. Fingerling was occu- 
pied in the kitchen, preparing the dinner. 
The mother’s terror may be imagined when, 
attracted by Augustine’s cries, she perceived 
the monster seated by the cradle, licking the 
baby’s head with his long red tongue. Her 
sudden approach soon directed upon herself 
the murderous appetite of the bear. Her 
agony, happily, was not long, the ferocious 
animal having commenced with the head and 
throat. He then fled without harming the 
children, and we find him again playing with 
the sign before the inn. 

The unfortunate Fingerling was conveyed 
to his dwelling ; he still breathed, though 
faintly and painfully; but the surgeon de- 
clared that nothing could be done for him, 


212 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

every attempt only increasing the agony of 
the dying man. 

Fingerling’s room could not contain the 
sympathizing crowd, who awaited his last 
breath. 

After some time he opened his closed lids, 
and asked with considerable effort : “ Where 
is my dear wife ? ” 

Those nearest to him silently pointed to- 
wards a blood-stained cloth, beneath which 
reposed the disfigured corpse of Mrs. Finger- 
ling. The rag-seller comprehended at once. 

“ My fears were only too well founded ! ” 
he said, in a feeble voice. A moment, and 
we shall be again united; I saw that in a 
dream. How beautiful it was! We were 
together in Paradise. But where is my 
child ? ” 

Augustine, who had hidden her face upon 
the side of her father’s dying bed, raised her 
head, and turned her swollen eyes towards 
her father. Fingerling gazed tenderly upon 
his child, and made a vain effort to lay his 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 


213 


hand upon her head. He finally said : “ God 
bless thee, my dear child!” 

Fingerling’s dying look then turned towards 
Sybil, who stood by Augustine’s side. He 
gazed upon her with an imploring expression, 
saying : “ Be always honest.” 

These last words, spoken in quite a loud tone 
of voice by the rag-seller, produced a profound 
impression upon the minds of all present, espe- 
cially upon Sybil’s; she never forgot during 
her whole life the counsel given at that last 
and solemn moment. 

Fingerling’s head had fallen with the last 
word which he had uttered; he was dead. 
Some hours later, his features, which had 
been distorted by pain, assumed a smiling 
aspect, — a circumstance which has not un- 
frequently been observed with other corpses. 

Gottlob, Sybil, and Augustine followed the 
bier on which were borne the remains of this 
unfortunate couple ; they were accompanied 
by an immense crowd. 

The three orphans were adopted by the 


214 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

town of Schellenberg ; the inhabitantsj by 
voluntary donations, contributed a sum large 
enough to secure them against want, and to 
procure for them food, clothes, a shelter, and 
even education. Augustine found a second 
father in the burgomaster, and Sybil in the 
collector. Gottlob, under the direction of the 
farmer of Rommelshain, became an accom- 
plished agriculturist, and some years later, 
Sybil, who had never forgotten the lesson she 
had received, went to live with her brother 
and superintend his household. 

The indemnity for the unjust imprisonment 
of Fingerling also finally arrived, thanks to 
the measures taken by the judge; it amounted 
to about a hundred crowns, which were put 
out at interest, and increased to quite a con- 
siderable sum. This of course belonged to 
Augustine, and formed a handsome dowry, 
when she, having grown into a charming 
young girl, bestowed her hand upon an hon- 
est citizen of Schellenberg. 

The inhabitants of the town united in a 


THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG 215 


petition that no more bears should be kept 
in the ill-guarded den at Augustusburg. It 
is probable that this petition would have been 
disregarded, had the king ever received it. 
If, in fact, no more bears were kept in the 
den, the reason must be sought in the seven 
years’ war, which soon after broke out, and 
furnished less diverting occupations to the 
king and his favorites. 

The magnificent castle of Augustusburg 
is still in existence, as well as the bears’ den ; 
but the latter is no longer used as a dwelling 
for such savage beasts, being now filled with 
vegetables and fruit-trees. 

The green diamond, that costly ornament, 
is still shown to the curious visiting the palace 
in Dresden ; these shining stones are looked 
upon with more wonder for their value than 
for their beauty, and they are regarded as the 
useless remnants of a melancholy era. 

Since the death of Augustus III., the kings 
of Saxony have found more pleasure in 
gazing upon rich fields and green pastures, 


216 THE BEARS OF AUGUSTUSBURG. 

than upon diamonds of that color ; they pre- 
fer the happiness of their people to expen- 
sive amusements, and to bear-fights. We 
owe it to the zeal of these monarchs, that 
the wounds made by their predecessors have 
been closed, and entirely healed, happily for 
them and for us. 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 

TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN 

OP 

AGNES FEANZ. 


Id 





•v ' 



Vi- 






’.* V'V-L.' ■ ■••• 


. i 


V 









• . *• 


r: 


* ^ r'^i' 

^ i 




% 

'? 4 > -• t I ’*• Jt 't ' * ' • *• * ' 

^ ••- ■'■ ' • 




• « 


.■ 


•» . 



' , 

» '. 1 


C'u 

• 4 




* • * • 

, / 

/ A 

* N 

^ • . 

, « 

• f A 

<^. 

^ • 

'•< 

, .!<• 

ft 

^ 4 

j» 

. . , 

.V • 

• <4.^ 

« 

ft * • ' . 


. r ■< 




i r 




> T- ‘ 


. t 

«- • 


m . ^ 


^ 4. * 

• > 

H' . r*. ■ 




>- 

•* 




A. 


- ^ 




< , • ^ ' • ' « 


#v. 


I , 




•> •.. 


* « 


m" ' ' V*V .• '•. •if 

'.■■■ ■ - . .._^ ^ . '-fci . '■••^ 








Ti' 




\ i 


. % \ 


14 r 


•. >L ' 


. I 


• ^ 




• * • U 

u- ; ^ • 

. . 


' i*y*r*' * •» ■ ‘^ 

• ‘‘T^* ' 5 ^ ' - ‘ 



1 i 


*- _ ^ ^ 4 _ 


^ ♦ 


' • •' 






* i 






3k^ ^ - ' 

ft ft 4^ • 

• • •*• 

^ > *) ^ 

ip- - 

• >';': -'^:y 

•.V' . ^ 


» * 

#. ftr- 


jjt. 

w' ^ •. '•* ^ 


ft ^ 


A I • 


y , 

4 ^ 


- '■ y 4 “*v 9 ^ 

v:-#*v’ -y' 


% * « ft 


. •»* ^ -'< 3 V 


•. 'T y? - ^ 





• < ; 

■* 


f»- 


,‘*V 






- >• * • • * S-A/ - 

■. : •• *'^ ^ •. •■.; •>• .* ■ '•Ay. 

: *- - .. : ■-. - 

C«» ‘* •» ' .-' Vkiiv’^ i 


. •■■ • ■ . *•';’-> '7^.- ■•*.'’ ^ 


V/*^, -’. .. ' ■» 


.♦ V 


"i '■ 

S t 1 . • « - • 


. 


-f. 


^^'■*'’ wi'l "' ’* •^•. "x* •• 


ft t 






• '» v: < 


4Scl 'i- 'fci 4 • .v.',<- .» •.» JS. 45* r 

' V> ' , ^ . • ' , - 4 . . ^ #. .v^* 4 tfSb^ At^t^S^S! 




^v' .. ’ ‘^•'' ?^'' ' '.’r- ^ -.c VV:::;i.V'r 7 ^- . .:• - . 

u jj.K2V‘'E.*'i ^ <• • \t:* v« •. ...•:■- '< ■» 


‘■' .-r, . ft 





K 

r‘ 


V 


•' ^ 



' -fc ^ ^ • V ' •' 


V. ft 




V • ** * .,>. rw >.fe^SL 



•w . 


4'- \ V*-- • ' 

■■ *!-.■*;. .• -'■ 

f •• ^ •' * ''jEE 

-* ^ ^ ^ , .» * 4 w * ' *' ' . V 

• • ft * ,,f*’^ft- ♦ , _ > 


>T.» . ’*/ ^ ’ft# ^. • ' *- 4 <« 




.,* ,V .. 

, ft • 

, •• <- 


,*4^ 

■* .r^ 




t . 


> ' 

' i '* 


\ . 




BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


Bertrand, the eldest son of Renaud du 
Guesclin, a French nobleman living at the 
Chateau de la Motte Broon, was the most 
self-willed, the wildest, and most ungovern- 
able boy in the whole neighborhood. Neither 
his mother nor his tutor could do anything 
with his stubborn temper; and his father, who 
might perhaps have possessed some power 
over him, was unfortunately so repelled by 
his son’s rude manners and unprepossessing 
exterior, that he rarely permitted him to come 
into his presence, and gave up all hope of 
rendering him a useful member of society. 

Nature seemed certainly to have neglected 
the child’s appearance in a most extraor- 
dinary manner. His little and unattractive 


220 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


person bore a head so large, that it was out 
of all proportion to the rest of his figure. 
His eyes were small and deep-set, and flashed 
lightning from beneath his overhanging fore- 
head and bushy hair ; the expression of his 
whole countenance was so haughty and tyran- 
nical, that all the children in the castle of La 
Motte Broon ran away screaming whenever 
the wild Bertrand made his appearance, even 
in the distance. 

But his naughty and disagreeable ways dis- 
figured the young Du Guesclin much more 
than his personal exterior. His clothes were 
always torn and dirty, his hair uncombed, 
and his face scratched. He quarrelled daily 
with his brother and sister, and with the ser- 
vants in the house. He stormed and raged 
when any one opposed his will, and was so 
bold and ill-bred at the table, that his father 
frequently commanded him to leave it. 

During school hours, he showed the same 
self-will and obstinacy ; although he was un- 
doubtedly endowed with excellent capacities 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


221 


for learning, he did not make the least prog- 
ress, and every day received fresh reprimands. 
The increasing contempt which Bertrand’s 
father showed towards him rendered his dis- 
position ever gloomier and more impractica- 
ble ; he saw that all hope of his improvement 
had been abandoned, that every one fled from 
him, and, losing all confidence in his own 
better nature, all love for those around him 
seemed to vanish from his soul. He was 
thus on the broad road to destruction, and 
would have become a stern, hard man, an* 
enemy to all his race, if God had not sent, 
just at the right moment, a saving angel to 
deliver the poor boy from the evils with which 
he was threatened through the distortion of 
his own natural character. 

One day Bertrand was playing with his 
younger brother and sister in the dining-room 
of the castle. His sister Mary and her little 
brother stood trembling in one corner of the 
hall, while Bertrand approached them with a 
19 * 


222 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


dark look, and every now and then raised his 
whip with a threatening gesture. 

“ Well, have you decided ? ” cried the 
child, in a commanding tone. Have you 
thought better of it; and will it please you 
now. Miss, to take this bit in your mouth, 
and be my horse ? ” 

‘‘Ah, Bertrand!” begged the frightened 
girl, “ do choose some other play. You are 
so wild, and always will beat me with your 
whip ! ” 

“ But you shall do it ! ” cried Bertrand. 
“ In the absence of the Lord Benaud du 
Guesclin, I am your lord and master. I 
command this play ! ” 

“And we, we will not play it!” replied 
the little ones, making common cause in 
opposition to their rude brother. 

“ How, you dare to disobey me ? ” cried 
Bertrand, striking the poor little Mary so 
heavily across the shoulders with his whip, 
that the child began to weep aloud. 

“ You had better be quiet, I tell you ! ” 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


223 


threatened Bertrand ; but her screams had 
already been heard in the adjoining room. 

Bertrand’s tutor suddenly appeared in the 
hall, and began, as soon as he had made 
himself acquainted with the cause of disturb- 
ance, to remonstrate with the young tyrant. 
It seemed as if Bertrand had not previously 
understood the impropriety of his behavior in 
threatening and maltreating one weaker than 
himself. He had frequently, upon other oc- 
casions, been his little sister’s defender, and 
silently repented of his ignoble action ; but 
as the Abbe continued, in the most humiliat- 
ing words, to place before him a picture of 
his daily misdeeds, it seemed as if every syl- 
lable only hardened his heart, and the most 
stolid indifference finally replaced the gleam 
of good feeling which had been excited in 
his soul. 

“ Yes, your father is right,” said the Abbe, 
finally, when he declares it would have been 
better to have had no son than such a one as 
you, whose laziness, wickedness, and diso- 


224 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


bcdience are a disgrace to the name of his 
family, and who will never be worthy to be 
placed in the rank of his renowned ances- 
tors ! ” 

“Did my father say that?” a’sked Bertrand, 
making a wild gesture. His face glowed, fire 
flashed from his eyes, while his hands were 
tightly clenched. 

“ Very well,” he cried, gnashing his teeth, 
“ 1 will grow every day more wicked, more 
lazy, and more intolerable! I here renounce 
obedience to you, and to all the rest of the 
world ! No ! I will obey no one, and love no 
one! Every one shall hate me, and 1 will 
hate every one ! That is but just, for then 
will all my father’s hopes be fulfilled ! ” 

The Abbe gazed iii dumb horror upon the 
raging boy. His face was stamped with the 
impress of the most passionate emotion, and 
his whole frame trembled. 

I 

Did you understand, Mr. Abbe,” he con- 
tinued. “I no longer need a tutor!” He 
accompanied these words with a haughty 
gesture of dismissal. 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


225 


“ You are right ! ” replied the Abbe : “ it 
is better we should part, than that I should 
continue to cultivate a soil on which no 
good seed can possibly take root. I will 
tender my resignation to your mother imme- 
diately. God be ever with you, poor, un- 
happy boy, and show you betimes the abyss 
to which such dispositions must inevitably 
lead you ! ” 

A few hours after this occurrence, the whole 
family were assembled in the dining-hall. 
Madame du Guesclin appeared with her little 
ones, her face pale and sorrowful, and her eyes 
dim with weeping. The lord of the castle 
was absent. Bertrand, who came in last, sat 
at the end of the table in gloomy and haughty 
silence. 

“ Your tutor, our good Abbe, has left us ! ” 
said Madame du Guesclin to Bertrand, at the 
same time forgetting to fill his soup-plate. The 
servant who stood behind him, and who was 
accustomed to see his misdeeds punished in 


226 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


this way, took the plate, knife ^and fork, away 
from before him ; — this was also unobserved 
by the mother, and she continued : “ I have 
until now endeavored to dissuade your father 
from his design of sending you away from us 
to some institution for education ; but I see 
now that only strong measures will answer. 
We must then part, my son, however painful 
it may be to my heart! Your own behavior 
has this day called forth this unalterable 
resolution.” 

While the lady, her voice filled with emo- 
tion, and her eyes with tears, spoke these 
words, which Bertrand had scarcelv heard, 
and to which he paid no heed, the boy had 
drawn a dish towards him, on which was a 
pair of fowls, and began to help himself. 

“ What are you doing ? ” cried Madame 
du Guesclin. # 

“ I am taking what belongs to me ! ” an- 
swered Bertrand, in an indifferent tone, at the 
same moment beginning to tear the chicken 
to pieces with his hands. 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


227 


Madame du Guescliii now for the first time 
perceived that she had forgotten him. “ Cut 
him a piece of meat!” said she to a ser- 
vant; and then, throwing a warning look 
upon Bertrand, she added : I hope that in 
future you will learn to wait ! ” 

She had scarcely spoken these words, when 
the furious boy thrust his right hand into a 
pastry, and his left into the salad bowl, and 
so on, without in the least heeding his 
mother’s looks, until he had taken of every 
dish he desired, and had greedily devoured 
his prey. 

“ Get up, Bertrand, you have eaten enough!” 
commanded the outraged mother. 

“ I will sit at the table as long as I please,” 
replied the boy, with a flaming glance. 

Out with you, this moment ! ” cried the 
lady, making a sign to a servant to seize upon 
the young rebel. 

Bertrand well understood this sign. He 
grasped a knife from the table, and cried: 
“ If any one dares to touch me, I will run 
this knife through his body.”- 


228 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


“ Horrible ! ” groaned Madame dn Guesclin, 
rising from the table. But the servant had 
already quietly disarmed the child, and carried 
him away with his chair. Boiling with rage, 
Bertrand sprang from him, flew to the table, 
threw plates and glasses in every direction, 
and broke everything which came within his 
reach. Meat, fruit, salad, everything upon 
the table, was thrown upon the floor. The 
younger children flew to their mother’s arms 
with loud screams, while she, benumbed with 
horror, could scarcely utter a single word. 

“ Great God ! ” she finally cried, “ can it 
be possible that I am the mother of that 
boy, — of a boy who heeds neither the laws 
of God, nor those of men ; who scorns his 
own mother, and recklessly draws down the 
wrath of Heaven upon his head ! ” 

Bertrand, in the excess of his passion, did 
not hear these words, and continued to rage 
in the most furious manner. He shrieked 
and raved like a madman, trod under foot 
all upon which he could lay his hands, and 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 229 

then, loudly laughing, seemed to find a wild 
pleasure in the destruction around him. 

“ Hold him fast ! ” said Madame du Gues- 
clin to the servants, whom the unusual sounds 
had brought to the spot. “ Take him away, 
but not to his room, no, down into the cellar ! 
Shut him up in the vault under the steps! 
He shall remain there until his father’s re- 
turn, and eat nothing but dry bread, with 
a little water ! ” 

Mary and her baby brother raised their 
tender voices to beg pardon for Bertrand, 
while the latter, barricaded in a distant corner, 
awaited with fiercely gleaming eyes the end 
of this scene. 

A knocking was suddenly heard at the 
door, and a lady of noble mien entered, 
wearing the black dress of a nan. She looked 
startled when she saw the fragments strew- 
ing the floor, and stood motionless upon the 
threshold of the door. 

“ Sister Martha ! ” cried the little ones, 


20 


230 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


springing from their mother’s arms, and fly- 
ing to meet the new comer. 

“ You come at a most unhappy hour ! ” 
said Madame du Guesclin, offering her hand 
to the nun. 

“ But I hope not at an unwelcome one ! ” 
replied the latter. 

Madame du Guesclin looked up towards 
heaven, and cried: “Ah! if I ever stood in 
need of consolation, it is at this very mo- 
ment ! ” 

The nun started, and anxiously inquired 
for the lady’s husband, fearing lest she should 
hear some ill news of him. But the heart- 
stricken mother only shook her head mourn- 
fully. 

“ Now ? ” said the nun, while her eyes 

wandered through the room, and were finally 
fixed upon a single point. 

“You are horrified at this disorder ! ” re- 
marked Madame du Guesclin. “ Ah ! you 
would be much more horrified, if you only 
knew the cause ! ” 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


231 


My attention was attracted by another 
object ! ” replied the nun. “ Who is that 
boy ? ” she added, pointing towards Bertrand, 
who with glowing visage and downcast eyes, 
a picture of shame and confusion, strove to 
hide himself from her gaze. 

Madame du Guesclin sighed as she looked 
upon the ground, and the servants receiving 
no further orders, silently left the room with 
the remainder of the dinner. 

That boy ? ” repeated the lady, sorrow- 
fully. Alas, he is a wicked and ungov- 
ernable child ! ” 

“How?” said the nun, approaching Ber- 
trand with a smiling mien, “ can one be al- 
ready wicked at so early an age?” 

‘‘ As well as at yours ! ” replied Bertrand, 
contracting his brows. 

“ But it would be better if it were not so,” 
said the nun gently. “ Come nearer, and leave 
your corner, my little friend.” 

“ I am a friend to no one ! ” said Bertrand, 
with a dark look; “you need not trouble 


232 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


yourself to read me a lesson in morals! I 
hear enough of it from mother, father, and 
tutor!’ 

“ O no,” replied the nun, “ I was not think- 
ing of reading you a lesson ; I am sure you 
do not need one, because your own dispo- 
sition will lead you to be reasonable and 
obedient.” 

“ I would have you to know, noble lady,” 
answered Bertrand, proudly rising, ‘‘ that no 
one shall laugh at me with impunity ! ” 

So saying, he seized a stick of wood, and 
flourished it round his head in an angry and 
threatening manner. 

“ I beseech you, come away from him ! ” 
begged Madame du Guesclin, “ he may indeed 
do you some injury!” 

“ O no, I cannot believe that of him ! ” said 
the nun, stepping nearer to the boy. As she 
stood immediately before him, she stroked 
back the disordered locks from his brow and 
cheeks, and continued : “ There is something 
very noble and characteristic in the features 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 233 

of this child. He is bom to fill a remarkable 
destiny I His physiognomy promises great- 
ness and success. This boy will surely be 
a great general, and one of the most dis- 
tinguished men of his day.” 

“ Ah ! ” sighed Madame du Guesclin, as she 
listened to this prophecy, “ my unhappy son 
seems, alas! intended for no such brilliant 
destiny ! ” 

“ What ! This boy is your son ? ” cried the 
astonished nun; “and you have kept him 
so long hidden ? How often have I not 
been with you, and yet this is the first time 
I ever saw him!” 

“ His unfortunate disposition forced us to 
keep him hidden from all human eyes ! ” sighed 
the poor mother. “ He is our eldest son ; but 
his behavior is such, that we only look upon 
him with deep shame, and can never venture 
to let him make his appearance in the castle 
when our friends are with us. He has drawn 
this state of banishment upon himself, through 
his evil behavior, and his obstinate disregard 


20 


234 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


of a” good manners. And as the rudeness 
of his character increases daily, we can only 
fear that he will never cause his family any- 
thing but shame and sorrow!” 

Madame du Guesclin then related the occur- 
rences of the last few hours, and painted the 
whole scene in the most vivid and truthful 
colors. When she had ended her narration, 
the nun, who had listened most attentively 
and sympathizingly, turned to Bertrand, who, 
ashamed and confused, did not venture to 
lift his eyes from the floor, and said in a 
most gentle tone and manner : 

‘‘ You have done very wrong, my child, and 
I am quite sure that you see this as well I do ! 
I acknowledge that power and mastery over 
others is very tempting and alluring, but we 
must begin by first conquering our own pas- 
sions and inclinations. If we are threatened 
with punishment, it is quite natural that we 
should struggle against it ; it is far better 
not to havh deserved it, and most noble to 
submit, if we unfortunately have done so. 


IJERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


235 


Consider yourself!” she continued; the ex- 
pression of your features cannot deceive ! 
You will one day be a man, a valiant and 
noble man ! Begin from this moment to 
prove the truth of my prophecy. I by no 
means ask your mother to diminish or delay 
your punishment! No, I rather expect from 
you that you will patiently suffer it, because 
I think you capable of so noble a resolu- 
tion ! ” 

Bertrand, who until now had gazed speech- 
less and motionless upon the floor, at these 
words laid down his stick, and walked with 
a firm tread towards the door. 

“ Where are you going ? ” cried the nun, 
hastening arfer him, and seizing his hand. 

“ To my prison. Madam ! But I do not 
wish any one to take me there,” replied Ber- 
trand, repressing his tears, “ I know the way.” 

“ If that then is your resolution, I will beg 
your mother to forgive you ! ” said the nun, 
kissing the child’s forehead : “ You are a 
fine, noble-hearted boy ! ” 


236 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


“ Yes,, indeed, I forgive you with all my 
heart I ” cried Madame du Guesclin, folding 
her arm^i around her son, and pressing him 
tenderly to her bosom. 

“ Ah ! she continued, “ if my Bertrand 
only would will it, I might be the happiest 
of ail mothers ! ” 

“ You shall be so from this very moment! 
I give you my word ! ” replied Bertrand, with 
so gentle and submissive an air and tone, that 
his enraptured mother again strained him to 
her heart. 

“ I can only repeat my words,” cried the 
nun, as if inspired : “ Your son will hence- 
forth be an honor to you, and all will con- 
gratulate you that you are his mother ! ” 

“ I believe it now ! ” said Madame du 
Guesclin ; “ who does not willingly believe 
what is so deeply to be desired ? But I be- 
seech you, my good sister, to repeat your 
visit, and aid my son in his good resolu- 
tions ! Since the moment of your entrance 
he is entirely changed ! His whole being 
seems transformed ! ” 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


237 


‘‘ Fruits which never ripen are .good for 
nothing,’’ observed Bertrand, whom the nun’s 
prophecy had deeply touched, “but those 
which ripen late^ will be good!” 

A few days later, the lord of the castle re- 
turned from his journey. The first object 
which engaged his attention as he took his * 
seat at table amid his family, was Bertrand, 
— but he scarcely recognized him. His 
clothes were clean and neat, his face care- 
fully washed, and his hair, which had for- 
merly, by its wild disorder, caused his head 
to seem unnaturally large, now fell in grace- 
ful curls around his neck and brow. 

His behavior, too, was no less changed. He 
ate quietly and modestly, answered politely 
when he was spoken to, and when he had 
occasion to ask a service from one of the 
servants, he did so in the gentlest manner. 

The father’s wonder was still more in- 
creased, when, upon asking several questions 
of Bertrand, he received the most intelligent 


238 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


and respe^ctful answers. After dinner the little 
Du Guesclin played with his brother and 
sister so kindly and peacefully, that not the 
least contention arose ; indeed so mild was 
he towards them, that once when he was 
quite in the right, he nevertheless yielded; 
in short, his design seemed to be to win all 
* hearts through the excellence of his behavior. 

The happy father gave his son, on the very 
next day, a beautiful little horse, and soon 
after permitted him to take riding lessons. 
This exercise pleased the courageous boy 
better than all his studies, and in a short 
time he displayed so much skill in all knightly 
accomplishments, that, even in a tender age, 
he won many a prize at tourneys, and in all 
competitions of strength, dexterity, and valor. 
As he grew older, his fame ever extended 
wider and wider, as one of the noblest and 
bravest young men of his day. 

Thus did the rude and uncontrollable boy 
becomfe, through the beautiful trust and the 
quiet influence of that quick-sighted and 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


239 


judicious nun, a noble and knightly hero, who 
perfectly fulfilled her incredible prophecy. 

In later days he ever thought of her with 
reverential gratitude, and never forgot the 
hour, which had decided the course of his 
whole future life, when all the better facul- 
ties of his soul had been aroused into action, 
as if by some magic power. 

As a reward for his services, Charles the 
Fifth, King of France, under whose banner 
Bertrand du Guesclin had won the most bril- 
liant victories, made him Constable of France ; 
in other words, the commander of all the 
forces belonging to the kingdom, the highest 
military honor of that age. But Bertrand 
was as highly distinguished for his noble 
soul, as for his brilliant and successful valor, 
and won, not only the admiration, but the 
veneration, esteem, and love of his com- 
patriots, — even of his enemies. 

When he fell, a victim to his heroic courage, 
at the siege of the castle of Randon, his vic- 
torious rival, the commandant of the for- 


240 


BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN. 


tress, appeared among the first of those who 
followed the corpse of the noble and uni- 
versally lamented warrior to the tomb. 

Thus does the name of Du Guesclin shine 
as one of the first and most glorious in French 
history. Poets and historians have immortal- 
ized his deeds, and also does his image stand 
before you, my youthful reader, as an ex- 
ample worthy of imitation ; for often a noble 
and firm resolution is all that is required to 
fulfil the hopes of those who love us, — and 
each victory must begin with an acknowl- 
edgment of the old faults, which have led 
so far astray, and a determination to con- 
quer one’s self, and steadily and cheerfully to 
walk in the path of uprightness and self- 
control. 

May the Almighty bless every struggle to- 
wards so lofty an aim, and guide the generous 
combatant to a final and entire victory ! 


« 




THE LILAC AND THE ELDER. 

TEANSLATED FEOM THE GBEMAN 

OF 


AGNES FRANZ. 




( 

• 

► . ♦ 

4 


« vt‘Ai , ,. / .. '.>>»' * . • . 

Y^y- ■ • 




iTi ■'•''r 

■*' *• f . 



m 


\\ 


« 

C-* i# 




.f? 

. \ 


\ . 







V ; 




&«AJ 


.;^- 


^ £.■ 




r* 1 

^ •‘i. i 



:>H' M 


« • 


^i^.SOk '*. V 'j** ♦ ^ 4 •* • 

• • V >■ ■ *. ^ 





/ ' 




^ • 





t 


' 't 


>:. j/ s . ? 


■» V.' ) 
-VC 

'•■- '& 

*-i\ 

Vv 



\ 




t’* 


'>. A. 





e --' 


;-f .1^4=^;^:^ 

I « * ./■ 

S '■%:.. 


. A 


t 

A 




^i; 





^ • 


I • • 


'• f 



.*.• ^-4 





Wi* 

r 


• * » 

• » « 


»♦ 4 » 


b . 


. ,iy--- 

■y 







>(• . . -:^' ,. 

.r ''rii ♦ 



u »> 






I ■ ' 




'*V,^ . ■- ’■ 


.^T 




'%'• >?* ■', " ■■ 

'.-.i'-'^' - ■-;;i 







THE LILAC AND THE ELDER. 


( 

‘‘ Am I not to have a new hat, and a new 
veil too, Mamma ? ’’ cried Mignon, gayly. 

‘‘ Certainly, my daughter, — as soon as you 
have made your first soup ! ” 

“ O, O, Mamma, the first soup ? ” laughed 
Mignon. 

La-la, li, la-la ! You must first take ” 

“ Stop, stop, Mignon ! First tell me what 
kind of soup you will make.” 

“ O, brown veal soup, with vegetables. 
Mamma! What else?” 

“ Patience ! The child talks as if there 
were no other kind of soup in the whole 
world!” laughed the father, who had been 
listening to the previous conversation. 

“ Well, then, you must first take one or 


244 


THE LILAC AND THE ELDER. 


two pounds of veal, cut it in pieces, and 
let it ” 

With these words, addressed to no one in 
particular, Mignon skipped out of the door 
into the garden, to gather a bunch of flowers. 
But she continued to mutter to herself, as if 
studying the important receipt for the soup in 
the cookery book : “ And then baste it, — yes, 
baste it, — with butter, until it is of a fine 
brown, — fine brown, — and then cut thyme, 
parsley, and — and — O now what else was 
there? ” 

Mignon stood still, quite provoked, and 
strove in vain to remember the continuation 
of her soup receipt. “ Ah ! ” she cried at last, 
“I can make nothing out of that: let me see 
if I; remember the* white almond soup any 
better ! ” 

But the white almond soup had equally 
escaped her memory; and after letting her 
thoughts wander confusedly over soups, roast 
meats, cakes, and jellies, she cried out pet- 
tishly : “What nonsense I am chattering! 


THE LILAC AND THE ELDER. 


245 


The cuckoo may eat them all ! But softly ! 
here are the flowers! Away with the ugly 
cookery receipts ! ” 

Mignon then began to use her little knife, 
and select among the beautiful flowers with 
which the garden was filled. She soon had 
arranged a tasteful bouquet, and showed her- 
self much better acquainted with the forms 
and colors of the lovely blossoms, than with 
her soups. “ Ah ! ’’ she said, “ why should 
one torment one’s self with such pitiful stuff! 
Mamma is rich and keeps a cook, and I too 
shall be able to keep a cook. But it is never- 
theless true that Mamma can make an excel- 
lent soup! Well! knowledge comes with 
time! I shall learn, perhaps, one day!” 

Thus did Mignon console herself, and soon 
yielding to the influence of a new idea, she 
climbed the garden fence, and broke off the 
rich, perfumed bunches from a lilac-bush. It 
was truly charming to see how this lovely 
shrub was covered all over with purple blos- 
soms. Their fragrance filled the air, and their 


21 


246 


THE LILAC AND THE ELDER. 


graceful branches waved charmingly in the 
fresh morning breeze. Mignon was delighted. 

While she was still selecting the finest 
branches, she observed on the other side of 
the fenee a little maiden busily employed in 
gathering the pale, white blossoms of a com- 
mon elder-bush, whose strong and disagree- 
able perfume offended Mignon’s delicate 
nerves. 

“ For heaven’s sake, Rose ! ” cried Mignon, 
“ do let that horrible bush alone ! How can 
you take any pleasure in such hateful flowers ! 
Come, take these lovely lilac blossoms, and 
chat a little with me, for time begins to hang 
heavy on my hands.” 

Rose cast a modest glance upon the richly 
dressed and delicate looking girl, and said: 
“ Ah ! my dear young lady, you are so kind ; 
but* I must gather these flowers, because 
my grandmother wants them to make tea of. 
I assure you they make a very wholesome tea. 
Will you not accept a few of them from me ? ” 

“No indeed. Rose!” said Mignon, draw- 


THE LILAC AND THE ELDER. 


247 


ing back, “ my hands would smell of them the 
whole day.” 

“ Very well, Miss,” replied the little neigh- 
bor, whose friendly offer had received so ab- 
rupt a repulse, a noble pride tinging her 
cheeks with a lively red; “I have just as 
little fancy for your blossoms, which have a 
pleasant perfume, but are of no use.” 

Mignon gazed in astonishment upon the 
young girl, and descending from her wooden 
throne walked sadly towards her home, for she 
had wounded the poor child’s pride. 

A few weeks passed by. Mignon’s father 
went upon a journey, and mother and daugh- 
ter lived almost alone in the pretty country- 
house. Mignon had long before received the 
hat and veil from her kind father, and he had 
neglected to inquire whether she had yet 
learned how to make fhe promised soup. The 
light-hearted maiden had found it entirely con- 
venient to forget all about the cookery book 
and its receipts, the more so as she now began 


248 


THE LILAC AND THE ELDER. 


to take much pleasure in the society of the 
neighboring families. 

But one evening, when it was already quite 
late, Mignon’s mother complained of a violent 
pain, and great soreness in her throat. Her 
malady momentarily increased, until it became 
so alarming that a messenger was despatched 
in great haste for the physician, who unfortu- 
nately lived at a considerable distance, in a 
neighboring town. 

All the house was in a state of alarm and 
commotion, and lights were moving hurriedly 
to and fro, as the servants sought in vain some 
means of alleviation. 

“ Ah ! if we only had a little elder tea in the 
house ! ” cried an old servant, “ we might help 
our dear lady, perh:ups quite cure her! But 
we have not a single flower ! ” 

Mignon, who until now had remained seat- 
ed at the foot of her rflother’s bed, weeping 
bitterly, suddenly raised her head and asked : 
“ What ! Elder tea ? Will that be of any 
use ? ” 


THE LILAG AND THE ELDER. 


249 


“ (Jertainly,” replied the servant. 

“Well, then, go quickly to our old neigh- 
bor’s. Her grandchild, Rose, has gathered 
quite a supply of such flowers. Only make 
haste ! Tell her I beg she will have the kind- 
ness to send me some.” 

She would have said more, but the old wo- 
man had already departed, and soon after re- 
turned with Rose herself, who brought a 
quantity of the flowers she had gathered in a 
handkerchief. 

Mignon pressed the good child’s hand friend- 
lily: she had not seen her since the day of 
the little contest concerning the relative merits 
of their blossoms. The tea was soon made, 
the sick lady drank some of it, and with the 
remainder her throat was bathed. 

O joy ! In a short time she felt much bet- 
ter, and fell into a sweet and health-restoring 
slumber. 

“ Noble girl, how can I reward you ? ” said 
Mignon, deeply moved, “ of what do you stand 
in need?” 


250 


THE LILAC AND THE ELDER. 


“ Of nothing, my dear young lady,” replied 
Rose, modestly ; “ I have everything I want, 
and what I have done is no more than the 
duty of every neighbor. But may I not now 
ask you to accept some of my flowers?” she 
added, with a faint smile, which played archly 
around her pretty mouth. 

Mignon reddened, but then embraced the 
kind little maiden, and said : “ Dear Rose, will 
you not in future be my playfellow ? I can 
offer you nothing, as I now see and under- 
stand ! But only wear this ring as a remem- 
brance of your friend! ” 

Rose was quite overwhelmed with this mark 
of kind feeling, and drooping her eyes, whis- 
pered : “ Thanks, dear Mignon, thanks from 
my heart ! And now farewell ; I will always 
remain your most devoted servant!” 

“No, no, my friend! my dear friend!” 
cried Mignon, as she pressed the modest 
maiden to her breast, “will you not?” 

“ How willingly ! ” said Rose, and a tear 
fell from her clear and innocent eyes, which 


THE LILAC AND THE ELDER. 


251 


now rested upon the lovely face of the grate- 
ful Mignon. 

The two became indeed the most united 
and dear friends ; and Mignon learned from 
Rose, ever more and more closely to bind the 
beautiful with the useful. 

I 


V 


THE END. 





r 




% 


< , 

\ 

0 
A' 

•fc 












< 


( 



\ ( 1 


4 * 


•V "f; y 7'' 




-'"W ■ ■; ■ 

••fM A ^ ■' ^ 1 Iff* 



' 1 •• 


l.\ 




> 


* i 







« B 












